Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum

About the museum

In the late 19th century, one of Germany’s major marshalling yards was built in the northeast of Chemnitz, with an associated locomotive depot from 1898. Raw materials, semi-finished products, and finished goods from Saxon industry passed through Hilbersdorf. The depot, with two roundhouses and turntables as well as coaling and sanding facilities, serviced steam locomotives until 1988; shunting operations ended in the mid-1990s.

After the depot closed in 1992, the association Verein Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum took over the facilities and opened them to the public as a museum. Since then, volunteer members have restored vehicles, kept the workshop and technical equipment running, and organized special trips with historic trains. The collection includes steam, diesel, and electric locomotives of various classes, as well as passenger cars, freight cars, and a narrow-gauge field railway.

For the 4th Saxon State Exhibition in 2020, the railroad museum and the neighboring Technikmuseum Seilablaufanlage, run by the Eisenbahnfreunde Richard Hartmann, joined forces under the shared name “Schauplatz Eisenbahn.” Covering some 26 hectares, the site has since been one of the largest railroad museums in Europe by area. Highlights include the world’s only surviving rope-hauled hump yard with signal box 3 (Befehlsstellwerk 3), the locomotive depot with its locomotive exhibition, several themed exhibitions on Saxon railroad history, a signal garden, and a large model railroad layout.

Highlights

• Rope-hauled hump yard of the former marshalling yard with signal box 3
• Roundhouses of the locomotive depot with steam, diesel, and electric locomotives
• Cab of steam locomotive 44 1338 open to visitors
• 300-meter-long signal garden
• HO-scale model railroad layout (28 m²) and field railway rides
• Heizhausfest (engine shed festival) with guest locomotives (August)

Permanent exhibitions

• Bahnbetriebswerk und Lokomotivausstellung – The roundhouses of the former depot house steam, diesel, and electric locomotives as well as historic cars; the site also includes turntables, the coaling plant, and a workshop from the steam era.
• Seilablaufanlage und Befehlsstellwerk 3 – This technical monument of the marshalling yard shows how freight cars were sorted using a rope-driven system; the signal box illustrates the work of the yard crews.
• Themenausstellungen zur Eisenbahngeschichte – Several exhibitions cover the railroad in Saxony and central Germany, the Hilbersdorf freight yard, railroad technology, and the role of the railroad under dictatorships, complemented by the signal garden and HO model railroad.

Founded

1992

Operated by

Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum e. V. und Eisenbahnfreunde Richard Hartmann Chemnitz e. V. (Schauplatz Eisenbahn)

Admission & discounts

Prices according to the Schauplatz Eisenbahn website and the 2026 annual program. The association’s website sem-chemnitz.de still lists older prices (reduced €6, reduced group rate €5, guided tour €50). Special trips on the museum train have their own fares.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the museum, the site is largely accessible; there are reserved parking spaces and restrooms for people with disabilities. The free Schauplatz-Express (on weekends) connects the hump yard and the locomotive depot.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Children's tour "Max zeigt's euch!" (Max shows you!) by children for children, scavenger hunt around the site, hands-on activities, holiday courses, and a picnic area for families; recognized as a family-friendly leisure facility in Saxony. On weekends, the free Schauplatz-Express runs across the roughly 1 km-long grounds.

Getting there & parking

By car: A 4, exits Chemnitz-Ost or Chemnitz-Glösa. Entrance and ticket desk in the visitor center at the freight shed.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit