Zinnfiguren-Museum Goslar
Volunteer-run museum in the historic Lohmühle (tan-bark mill) that tells the story of Goslar's town and mining history in about 60 tin figure dioramas.
About the museum
The Zinnfiguren-Museum Goslar did not arise from a collection that grew over time, but from an idea of dedicated tin figure enthusiasts. The first exhibits were loans from collectors' circles; little by little, the museum replaced them with specially made dioramas on the history of Goslar. The museum is run by the Förderkreis Goslarer Zinnfiguren-Museum e. V. and is still operated mainly by volunteers, supported by a small full-time management.
The museum is housed in the Lohmühle on the Museumsufer, a centuries-old mill building in which tree bark was once crushed into tanning bark for leather production. It is considered the last of what were once around 40 Lohmühlen in Goslar and still has its working stamping mill. After an extensive restoration between 2011 and 2013, the museum also took over the care of this technical monument.
The permanent exhibition was gradually expanded until 2017. About 60 large-format, partly movable dioramas trace more than a thousand years of town and imperial history and are devoted to the region's three World Heritage Sites: the Old Town of Goslar, the Rammelsberg Mine, and the Upper Harz Water Management System. Scenes from the Thirty Years' War and from the world of fairy tales can also be seen. In 2017, the museum became the first tin figure museum to use the optical illusion "Pepper's Ghost" in a scene. Changing special exhibitions and an open casting workshop where guests make their own figures round out the offering.
Highlights
- About 60 large tin figure dioramas on Goslar's history
- Scenes on the three World Heritage Sites: Old Town of Goslar, Rammelsberg, and Upper Harz Water Management System
- Open workshop for casting and painting your own tin figures
- Historic Lohmühle with a working stamping mill
- Free audio guide with a children's mode
Permanent exhibitions
- Goslarer Stadt- und Welterbegeschichte in Zinn – About 60 partly movable dioramas lead through the history of Goslar, the Rammelsberg, and the Upper Harz Water Management System; in addition there are scenes from the Thirty Years' War and from fairy tales.
- Lohmühle – The historic mill building with its preserved stamping mill shows how tree bark was once crushed for tanning; demonstrations are given during guided tours.
- Operated by
- Förderkreis Goslarer Zinnfiguren-Museum e. V.
- Director
- Marc Krüger
- Visitors per year
- approx. 18,686 (2019)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Apprentices, students, people with a disability of 80% or more, people with a disability and the "B" marker and their companion, voluntary service participants |
| Children & teens | €3free up to age 5 · Teenagers up to the completed age of 18: €3. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freeFree admission with the "G" or "aG" marker (the building is only partially accessible); reduced from 80% or with the "B" marker. |
| Students & apprentices | €5 |
| Groups (10+ people) | €5 per personFor 10 or more people; children and teenagers in groups €2.50. |
| Families | €14For a maximum of 2 adults and their children. |
| Cast and paint a tin figure | €6€6 to €13 depending on figure size |
| "Geschichte und Genuss" (History and Enjoyment) tour incl. admission and tasting | €228–16 people, registration required |
| Lohmühle tour | €4Every first Saturday of the month at 15:00 |
Free admission for members of the Deutscher Museumsbund, the Museumsverband Niedersachsen und Bremen, ICOM, and Goslar tour guides. Prices valid since January 2, 2026.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: not available
- 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
Heritage-protected mill building without an elevator; the upper exhibition rooms can only be reached via stairs, only the ground floor is at street level. Strollers and walkers can be left in the entrance area. Restrooms in the Kulturmarktplatz (KUMA) across the street.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €14 · For a maximum of 2 adults and their children. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly: not available
- Kids’ birthday parties
The museum sees itself as especially child-friendly: audio guide with a children's mode, free museum quiz (ages 12 and up), and an open workshop for casting and painting your own tin figures. Children's birthday parties (approx. 2 hours, €50 base fee incl. admission plus €7 per figure) except on Sundays and Mondays. With a stroller, only the ground floor is accessible.
Getting there & parking
By car
Paid parking
Paid parking at the Kaiserpfalz parking lot.
Amenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop
Museum shop with tin figures of its own production, shipping within Germany possible. Restrooms in the Kulturmarktplatz opposite.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 2 hrs |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| Good to know | Free audio guide at the ticket desk. Culinary tour "Geschichte und Genuss" (approx. 2 hours, also bookable as a group tour). Tours of the Lohmühle with the mill put into operation every first Saturday of the month at 15:00, others on request. Registration is recommended for tin figure casting. |
