Ziegelei Erbs
Technical monument in Pegau: a fully preserved brickworks from 1911 with a Hoffmann ring kiln, press house, drying sheds and narrow-gauge field railway.
About the museum
In 1907, Julius Erbs of Pegau applied for a permit for a brickworks on Audigaster Straße; construction began in 1909, and the first bricks were fired in 1911. Floodplain clay from the surrounding area served as raw material. During the season from spring into winter, ten to twelve workers produced about 2.5 million bricks a year. Production ended in the mid-1970s after the son-in-law and operator Walter Zobel fell ill.
The disused works was declared a protected monument as early as 1980, and initial stabilization work began in the mid-1980s. After German reunification, the town of Pegau acquired the site and had it extensively restored in 1992/93 with heritage conservation funds. The brickworks was first opened to the public on Heritage Day (Tag des offenen Denkmals) in 1994.
On the roughly 3,680-square-meter site, the stages of brickmaking are preserved in almost their original condition – from clay extraction with a bucket-chain excavator, mine locomotive and tipper wagons to the press house, drying sheds and the Hoffmann ring kiln. The monument is looked after by the Museum der Stadt Pegau and the Verein für Heimatkunde (local history society); during guided tours, hand-molding of bricks is also demonstrated. Storks have regularly nested on the chimney since 1988.
Highlights
- Hoffmann ring kiln with chimney
- Press house with extrusion press and drying sheds in original condition
- Field railway with bucket-chain excavator, mine locomotive and tipper wagons
- Demonstration of hand-molded brickmaking during guided tours
- Stork's nest on the chimney (since 1988)
Permanent exhibitions
- Technisches Denkmal Ziegelei Erbs – The complete production chain of an early 20th-century brickworks – from the clay pit with its field railway to the press, drying sheds and ring kiln – in largely original condition.
- Founded
- 1994
- Operated by
- Stadt Pegau (Museum der Stadt Pegau) mit dem Verein für Heimatkunde zu Pegau e. V.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 13 · Children under 14 free. |
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
According to the portal "Sachsens Museen entdecken," partly wheelchair-accessible.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Pegau station, then bus 271 (according to Leipzig Region); the brickworks is on Audigaster Straße near the junction of the B 2 and B 176.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Group tours by arrangement by phone; field trips and project days for school classes ("grünes Klassenzimmer" – green classroom). |
