Stadt- und Heimatmuseum Marl

About the museum

The water mill in Alt-Marl is one of the oldest buildings in the city; it is documented in writing in the early 16th century as the mill of the von Loe family. It served as a grain, hulling and oil mill, changed owners frequently and was leased for a long time. An attempt to modernize it with a steam engine around 1920 failed; milling operations ended in the mid-1920s.

A few years later the idea arose of using the mill and the adjoining miller's house of about 1770 as a local history museum; it opened in 1933. The first museum custodian, headmaster Heinrich Keßler, gathered so many objects in Marl and the surrounding area that the building was soon considered too small. The ensemble has been a protected monument since 1987.

Today the Heimatverein Marl (local history society) runs the museum on behalf of the city. Volunteer mill wheel friends have renewed the water wheel several times, built a museum barn with a historic forge in 2004/05, and rebuilt an old baking oven in 2022/23. The grinding mechanism runs twice a year, on German Mill Day (Deutscher Mühlentag) and at the Volksparkfest.

Highlights

• Historic water mill with an overshot water wheel
• Farmhouse kitchen with open hearth and living rooms around 1800
• Mine tunnel section in the cellar recreated by miners
• Museum barn with a working 19th-century forge
• Grinding mechanism in operation on German Mill Day and at the Volksparkfest

Permanent exhibitions

• Wohnen und Arbeiten um 1800 – In the miller's house, a farmhouse kitchen with open hearth, parlors, household goods, clothing and tools show rural everyday life around 1800.
• Wassermühle und Stollen – Milling technology with an overshot water wheel and grinding mill, as well as a mine tunnel section in the cellar recreated by miners of the Auguste Victoria colliery.

Founded

1933

Operated by

Heimatverein Marl e.V. (für die Stadt Marl)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

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

Kids & families

Kindergartens and school classes can visit the museum by arrangement.

Getting there & parking

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

Amenities & dining

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

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 40 guests.

The museum barn next to the local history museum, with a historic forge, offers space for just over 40 guests on the ground floor, the attic another 15 seats (also for civil weddings); also a paved inner courtyard.

Plan your visit