Westfälisches Feuerwehrmuseum

About the museum

The Westfälisches Feuerwehrmuseum (Westphalian Fire Brigade Museum), now called FEUER.WEHRK, is run by a nonprofit association staffed by volunteers. According to the museum, the association was founded as early as 1985; at the end of 2006 the collection moved into a large hall on the site of the decommissioned Henrichshütte ironworks in Hattingen.

The hall had served the works as its central spare-parts store and machine shop. After the plant closed, many neighboring buildings such as the rolling mill and steelworks were demolished as the site was converted into a business and landscape park; the association managed to save this hall from demolition. From the entrance, visitors look straight at the blast furnace of the LWL-Museum Henrichshütte opposite.

On several thousand square meters, the museum displays more than 50 emergency vehicles and numerous other objects, from leather buckets and hand-pumped fire engines of the 18th and 19th centuries to 20th-century turntable ladders, water tenders and ambulances. One focus is on industrial fire brigades, which were indispensable to the coal mines and ironworks of the Ruhr; in this way the museum adds a rather overlooked topic to the Route der Industriekultur (Industrial Heritage Trail). At the end of 2023, a Krupp crane truck, a turntable ladder and a command vehicle from an industrial fire brigade were added. The exhibition sees itself as a permanent work in progress and is constantly being developed. Besides the opening days, the association uses the unheated hall for concerts, photography workshops and the annual ExtraSchicht festival.

Highlights

• More than 50 historic fire engines ("Rote Riesen" – red giants), many by Magirus-Deutz
• Vehicles of industrial fire brigades from Ruhr industry and mining
• From 19th-century hand-pumped fire engines to hydraulic turntable ladders
• Krupp MK 25 crane truck from 1987, formerly with an industrial fire brigade
• Industrial hall on the Henrichshütte site with a view of the blast furnace

Permanent exhibitions

• Rote Riesen – Feuerwehrgeschichte vom 18. Jahrhundert bis heute – Firefighting equipment, pump technology and emergency vehicles show the development of firefighting and rescue, with a focus on the industrial fire brigades of the Ruhr.

Founded

1993

Operated by

FEUER.WEHRK – Das Feuerwehrmuseum e. V.

Director

Hartmut Schlüter

Admission & discounts

No reductions are listed. Group visits without a guided tour ("Laufzeit") by arrangement; price depends on group size and effort.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: not available
• 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

Exhibition area accessible; no accessible restroom on site – by arrangement when booking a tour, one about 300 m away can be used.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

In the museum, a shunting game invites visitors to join in; family ticket available.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

Unheated industrial hall; sturdy shoes and warm clothing recommended. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the museum grounds (except in the designated area).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties

Up to 200 guests.

The exhibition hall can be used for events, parties, concerts, photo and film shoots, and as a destination for classic car rallies, provided the idea fits the theme of fire/water; seating for a stage and around 200 guests is possible.

Plan your visit