Schieferdorfmuseum Schmiedebach

About the museum

Schmiedebach lies on the edge of the Oertelsbruch, which at the beginning of the 20th century was considered the largest and most modern open-pit slate mine on the European mainland and employed almost 1000 people. Slate extraction has been documented in the village since 1662; it shaped the former farming village for centuries, until mining ended at the beginning of the 21st century.

The museum building was already mentioned as a brewhouse in 1575. After a tower for drying hoses was added in 1891, it served the fire brigade, and later the Raiffeisen association and the agricultural trading cooperative used it. The association Schieferdorfgemeinschaft Schmiedebach, founded in 2002, set up a collection on local history there, which has been on view since 2004.

Around 2000 exhibits tell of everyday life in the village: farming and craft tools, household goods, a furnished classroom, and testimonies from the GDR era. A focus is the extraction and processing of slate; the museum also keeps exhibits related to the nearby Laura concentration camp memorial. The association members personally guide visitors through the exhibition by arrangement.

Highlights

• Around 2000 objects on village and regional history
• Historic classroom
• Slate mining and processing in the Thuringian Slate Mountains
• Old brewhouse with a hose tower from 1891
• Personal tours by association members

Permanent exhibitions

• Vom Bauerndorf zum Schieferdorf – Local history collection with everyday and work tools, a classroom, GDR-era testimonies, and slate mining as its focus.

Founded

2004

Operated by

Schieferdorfgemeinschaft Schmiedebach e.V.

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum stands in the center of Schmiedebach next to the village church.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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