Technisches Museum Neumann-Mühle

About the museum

The Neumannmühle in the Kirnitzsch valley is the only mill in the valley that still largely retains its original form. A small sawmill already stood here in the 14th century; around 1551 it belonged, together with Felsenmühle and Buschmühle, to the settlement of Jentschdörfel. The older part of the building, a board mill with a single-blade sawing frame, has remained almost unchanged since its founding and is at least 450 years old. With timber rafting on the Kirnitzsch from about 1580, the importance of the sawmills in the valley grew.

In 1871/72 a wood-grinding works was added. Until 1945 it supplied wood pulp, which paper mills in the area, including in Sebnitz, used as a raw material; the sawmill ran until 1957. In the 1950s and 1960s the technical equipment began to be documented as a monument; in the 1980s the site fell into disrepair, and from the 1990s the building was comprehensively restored.

In 1998 the association Schauanlage Neumannmühle e.V. was founded, and since then it has been responsible for restoration and museum operation. The water wheel was rebuilt in 2000 based on historical models. On two floors, visitors see the board mill and the wood-grinding works and learn how papermaking developed.

Highlights

• Board mill with a Venetian-type sawing frame, at least 400 years old
• Wood-grinding works for papermaking (state around 1870/71)
• Medium-breast-shot water wheel with a diameter of 4.80 m
• Location on the Malerweg in the Saxon Switzerland National Park

Permanent exhibitions

• Brettmühle (Sägemühle) – A single-blade sawing frame of Venetian type, driven by a medium-breast-shot water wheel.
• Holzschleiferei – Wood grinder, refiner, sorter, and dewatering machine in the technical state of around 1870/71.
• Papierherstellung – Timeline of papermaking from its beginnings in China to the triumph of wood pulp.

Operated by

Schauanlage Neumannmühle e. V.

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• 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 tour to the lower floor leads down a steep staircase; according to the association, step-free access is not possible. Visitors can drive right up to the entrance by car.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

According to the association, the mill is also of interest to children (e.g., aged 4 and 9); the children's TV program "Die Sendung mit der Maus" featured the mill.

Getting there & parking

The mill lies on the Malerweg and the Flößersteig; cyclists use the Kirnitzschtalstraße.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Sale of brochures, postcards, Stocknägel (hiking-stick nails), and DVDs. Across the road is the Berghütte und Pension Neumannmühle (mountain hut and guesthouse).

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit