Schinkenmuseum Apen
Museum in the oldest ham smokehouse of the Ammerland in Apen: visits only on guided tours through the maturing house and smoking chambers.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum draws on a family history that began in Apen in 1748: back then, the Heuerling (landless laborer) Johann Nicolaus Meyer set up a full-time ham smokehouse here. Apen lay as a Danish border town out of reach of Prussian soldier recruitment, and the connection to the Hamburg markets made the place attractive for the ham trade. The business has stayed in the Meyer family ever since; today it is run by the owner Arnd Müller.
The present maturing house has been used for smoking and storing hams for about 180 years; there the hams mature for four years. The facade recalls an imperial-era front parlor (gute Stube); inside, dark floors are stacked one above the other, and smoke rises through them. As a working museum, the house has for about three decades shown its smokehouse, and in doing so it also tells the history of the Ammerland and of the neighboring church.
The house can only be visited on guided tours, which set different focal points, from the maturing of the hams to a tour through more than 1,100 years of regional history.
Highlights
- Oldest ham smokehouse in the Ammerland, with a maturing house
- Tours through the smoking chambers, where smoke and maturing can be experienced
- Family and regional history since 1748
- View of the church opposite, about 780 years old (tour "Schall & Rauch")
Permanent exhibition
- Schinkenräucherei und Reifehaus – The smokehouse, operated for generations, shows how ham matures in smoke and connects the craft with the history of the Ammerland.
- Operated by
- Friedrich Wilhelm Meyer e. K. (Inh. Arnd Müller)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €9 |
|---|---|
| Groups (10+ people) | €8 per personTour "dem Schinkenhimmel so nah" (1 hour); for fewer than 10 people, €80 per group |
| Tour "Schall & Rauch" (about 1.5 hours, groups) | €11For fewer than 10 people, €110 per group |
| Tour "schinken … Brot & Spiele" (about 1.5 hours, groups) | €11For fewer than 10 people, €110 per group |
| Tour "Der Ammerländer 3-Sprung" (2 hours, groups) | €14For fewer than 10 people, €140 per group |
The price of €9 applies per person for the one-hour tour "Schinkenhimmel Punkt-Elf." All programs are without tasting.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The house can only be visited as part of a guided tour. For groups, four programs of one to two hours each are available to choose from. |
