Südharzer Eisenhüttenmuseum und Königshütte

About the museum

Construction of the Königshütte in Bad Lauterberg began in 1733; it became the largest ironworks in the Electorate of Hanover. It produced cast and wrought iron goods and was known well beyond the region, among other things for the wire from which the world's first twisted wire rope was made. A second construction phase began shortly before 1820, during which the old blast-furnace works was demolished and replaced by a new one. Most of the surviving buildings date from this period; only a few go back to the founding period. Production of utility and art castings continued until 2001.

The ironworks ensemble includes the foundry, moulding house, rolling mill, machine factory and administration building, as well as the Hüttenschenke inn and the iron store. The moulding house with the clock stands just to the left in front of the foundry building as you enter the site; the rolling mill consists of two buildings. In the days of state-run operation the Hüttenschenke was home to the charcoal reeve, who was responsible for buying and storing the charcoal; the foundry workers also received their beer there, hence the name. The iron store, the building with the columns, held the finished products until they were sold. The former charcoal sheds fell into disrepair and have been demolished. The Scholmwehr bridge in the spa park of Bad Lauterberg also belongs to the Königshütte: this is where the Hüttengraben branches off, the channel that supplies the works with water – originally for the water wheels, today for the turbines. The site has been a protected monument since 1986 and was classified as a cultural monument of national significance in October 2014.

The Förderkreis Königshütte Bad Lauterberg e. V. (a support association) was founded in 1983 for the works' 250th anniversary and in 1997 set up the Südharzer Eisenhüttenmuseum in the former assay house. This building, constructed solidly of stone because of the fire risk, was where, in the days of state-run ironworking, the iron content of delivered ore was tested. The museum occupies the ground floor; upstairs, the association uses the rooms and is building up a specialist library on the subject of iron.

The exhibition explains iron smelting in general and at the ironworks of the Electorate and later Kingdom of Hanover. On display are a working model of the blast furnace building based on plans from 1736, a cast-iron stove made on site, samples of ore, flux and charcoal, and art castings from the 19th and early 20th centuries, including an equestrian statue of King George V from 1854 and busts of Jérôme Bonaparte and his wife Catharina: in Napoleonic times, the former Electorate of Hanover territory belonged to Jérôme's Kingdom of Westphalia. Maps explain the water management and the roughly 400 former charcoal kilns in the southern Harz.

Highlights

• Industrial monument of national significance
• Guided tour of the ironworks site with explanations of the buildings
• Working model of the blast furnace based on plans from 1736
• Art castings of the 19th and early 20th centuries
• Equestrian statue of King George V from 1854
• Busts of King Jérôme and Queen Catharina of Westphalia

Founded

1997

Operated by

Förderkreis Königshütte Bad Lauterberg e. V.

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

There is no fixed admission fee; a voluntary donation towards preserving the complex is requested.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• 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

The museum building has low-barrier access using mobile ramps.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Tours meet at the Hüttenbrunnen on the grounds of the Königshütte.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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