Museum Thonet
Company museum on the Thonet factory grounds in Frankenberg, with bentwood, Art Nouveau, Bauhaus and tubular steel furniture; free admission.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Thonet furniture factory has been producing in Frankenberg an der Eder since 1889. Exactly one hundred years later, in 1989, the Museum Thonet opened on the factory grounds. It grew from small beginnings: many pieces could be bought or exchanged locally. The collection gained decisive momentum through Georg Thonet, a great-grandson of the company's founder, who searched for Thonet furniture even in remote parts of the world and purchased it.
The exhibition documents the design history of the family business from 1819 to the present and shows the transition from craft workshop to industrial mass production. It explains the manufacturing steps, from glued layers of wood to bending solid wood, along with the associated bending forms, and gives an overview of the stylistic development of the furniture.
On display are early models by founder Michael Thonet, the Nr. 4 armchair that became world-famous as the classic café chair, Art Nouveau furniture designed by architects such as Otto Wagner, and cantilevered tubular steel chairs from the Bauhaus circle by Marcel Breuer, Mies van der Rohe and Mart Stam. A separate section is devoted to children's furniture, and a film tells the story of Thonet's product lines since 1836. A showroom and a factory outlet are directly attached.
Highlights
- Early bentwood furniture by founder Michael Thonet
- No. 4 armchair, the classic café chair
- Art Nouveau furniture, including designs by Otto Wagner
- Cantilevered tubular steel chairs from the Bauhaus circle
- Section with children's cradles, children's chairs and sleds
- Attached showroom and factory outlet
Permanent exhibitions
- Designgeschichte der Thonet-Möbel – From the first bentwood models through Art Nouveau and Bauhaus to postwar classics, plus bending forms and a film on the company's history.
- Kindermöbel – Children's cradles, small chairs and tables, doll furniture and sleds from Thonet production.
- Founded
- 1989
- Operated by
- Thonet GmbH
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
One section shows historical children's furniture such as cradles, children's chairs, doll furniture and sleds.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The Thonet showroom and a factory outlet with selected Thonet furniture are directly attached.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
