Original jewelry and silverware factory from 1845, preserved with its complete 19th-century machinery and tools.
January 24, 2027 – May 30, 2027
Large international exhibition on the sculptor brothers Maucher from Schwäbisch Gmünd, developed with the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum Munich and with loans from around the world. Part of the festive programme marking the museum’s 150th anniversary.
October 17, 2026 – November 29, 2026
Room-filling installation by the artist Nadja Schöllhammer, made of fragile materials such as paper, which addresses transience and hybrid beings of human, animal and plant. 22nd art prize of the VR-Bank Ostalb eG, in the Galerie im Prediger.
The goldsmith Nikolaus Ott founded a workshop for gold jewelry in Schwäbisch Gmünd in 1820 that employed an unusually large number of workers. After the Württemberg government issued a new trade law in 1828 against the resistance of the guilds, he had a new factory building erected in the Milchgäßle in 1845. The company grew, won medals at world exhibitions and exported worldwide; for a time, part of the business was even its own gasworks, which also supplied neighboring businesses and the town hall.
From the 1860s onward, the business declined. After being sold to Josef Pauser in 1928, the company mainly produced everyday goods such as tins, cups and cutlery. The last owner, Emil Pauser, modernized hardly anything, so the machinery, tools, pattern books and office remained practically unchanged – a stroke of luck for the later museum.
The factory building has been a listed monument since 1986 and has been used as a museum since 1992. On display are screw presses, wire-drawing benches, drop hammers and rolling mills that were once driven by a gas engine via a line shaft, as well as workstations of engravers, chasers and goldsmiths, and the pattern room. The gas engine in the outbuilding was restored and reassembled in 2000. The building belongs to the Museum im Prediger, the city's museum.
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3pupils, students, people with disabilities, volunteers in a voluntary service year (FSJ), holders of the Schwäbisch Gmünd Bonus Card, members of the Naturkundeverein (natural history society), of the Museumsverband Baden-Württemberg and of related associations (proof required) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Children and young people up to 18 years old have free admission. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3People with disabilities pay the reduced rate. |
| Students & apprentices | €3Pupils and students pay the reduced rate. |
| Groups | –Group tour €100 plus admission; register at 07171 38910. |
| Combined ticket with the Museum im Prediger (valid 8 days) | €10reduced €7 |
| Public guided tour (plus admission) | €3Sundays at 14:00 during summer time |
Free admission is also granted to holders of the Museumspass, members of the German Museums Association and of ICOM, and members and supporting members of the Gmünd Museum Association.
An iron spiral staircase connects the first and second floors.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
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In the specially set up children's workshop, children aged 9 to 12 can make their own piece of jewelry at a birthday party (maximum of 6 children); book an appointment at 07171 38910.
Unterer Marktplatz
Bus stop Unterer Marktplatz.
The Ledergasse and Stadtgarten parking garages are recommended.
The museum is in the Milchgäßle, opposite the Kornhaus in the old town.
Get directionsThe museum hasn’t published any information on this.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
| Guided tours | yes |
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| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Public guided tour on Sundays at 14:00 (summer only, no registration required). Groups and school classes register at 07171 38910. The old machines are only demonstrated on special occasions. |
