Bergisches Museum für Bergbau, Handwerk und Gewerbe
Museum on ore mining and crafts in Bensberg with half-timbered workshops and a farm garden – main building and visitor adit currently closed.
Over het museum
Citizens of Bensberg founded the museum in 1927 as a local history museum; it opened on March 31, 1928 – initially in a side room of Bensberg Palace. From 1929, Richard Zörner set up a show adit in the so-called Türmchenhaus on the moat, a former prison building; little by little the entire collection moved there. A fire destroyed the lecture hall and valuable furnishings in 1952.
Under its present name, the municipal museum reopened in 1981. It holds the largest collection on the history of ore mining in the former Bensberg district, where from the 19th century until the closure of the Lüderich mine in 1978 mainly sphalerite and galena were extracted. The walk-in visitor adit created in the 1930s with a cage, mine cart and water-pumping engine is one of the highlights.
On the outdoor grounds stand Bergisch half-timbered houses with workshops of traditional crafts, a hammer mill and a farm garden with old varieties; on Sundays during the season, volunteers demonstrate forging, weaving or spinning. After defects in the electrical system, the museum had to close in February 2026. Since July 1, 2026 the outdoor grounds and workshops have been accessible again; the main building and adit remain closed for the time being.
Hoogtepunten
- Walk-in visitor adit with cage and water-pumping engine (currently closed)
- Largest collection on ore mining in the Bensberg district
- Half-timbered houses with historic craft workshops on the outdoor grounds
- Farm garden with old Bergisch vegetable, fruit and herb varieties
- "Tree of Religions" (Baum der Religionen) with seven old apple varieties
- Wedding room in the historic hammer mill
Vaste collectie
- Erzbergbau im Bensberger Revier – Exhibits, photos and maps on the mining of zinc and lead ore from the 19th century to 1978, plus the rebuilt visitor adit in the basement. The main building and adit are currently closed.
- Leben und Arbeiten im Bergischen – Half-timbered houses with workshops of the blacksmith, wheelwright, weaver and other crafts, flax processing and a farm garden show everyday life about 150 years ago.
- Opgericht
- 1928
- Beheerder
- Stadt Bergisch Gladbach (Veranstaltungen und Vermittlung: Förderverein des Bergischen Museums für Bergbau, Handwerk und Gewerbe e. V.)
- Directie
- Laura Oehms
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
| Volwassenen | € 3 |
|---|---|
| Met korting | € 1,50Pupils, students, people with severe disabilities, holders of the NRW Ehrenamtskarte, federal volunteer service participants |
| Kinderen & jongeren | € 1,50Preschool children free; pupils pay the reduced price. |
| Senioren | –No senior discount listed. |
| Mensen met een beperking | € 1,50 |
| Studenten | € 1,50 |
| Groepen (vanaf 6 pers.) | € 1,50 p.p.Groups of six or more adults pay the reduced price. Tours (1 hour): Tue–Fri €40, Sat/Sun/public holidays €60 plus admission. |
Free for special-needs schools as well as members of the Deutscher Museumsbund, the NRW-Stiftung and the Förderverein.
Toegankelijkheid
- Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
- Lift
- Aangepast toilet
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
- Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
Partially accessible: step-free side entrance for people with walking difficulties, wheelchair users and strollers (please notify the visitor service). Paths on the outdoor grounds are mostly cobblestone, in places with a steep slope; many workshops have thresholds or steps. Elevator in the main building (currently closed). Folding stools available to borrow. Dogs on a leash only on the outdoor grounds.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
- Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
- Doe- en voelstations
- Kinderwagenvriendelijk
- Kinderfeestjes
Quiz booklet "Museumsdetektive" for children aged 5 to 11 (€3) with a treasure hunt. Family event days, craft demonstrations and holiday programs; museum festival on the first Sunday in August. Children's birthday parties on Fridays 15:00–18:30 for up to 8 children (ages 5–11) with a scavenger hunt, package €123, activities such as felting or candle decorating €70 extra each. Strollers can enter the museum via the step-free side entrance.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
Bensberg
Tram line 1 from Cologne to Bensberg; several bus lines from Cologne (Breslauer Platz/Hbf) and from the Bergisch Gladbach bus station to the Bensberg bus station. Bicycle racks in front of the museum.
Met de auto
Parkeerplaats aanwezig
Parking at the Burggraben directly opposite the museum as well as Am Stockbrunnen and in Wipperfürther Straße.
A4 from Köln-Ost interchange toward Olpe to exit 20 Bergisch Gladbach/Bensberg, then via Overather Straße; alternatively B55 from Cologne. Signposted in town.
Route plannenService & horeca
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd – vraag het rechtstreeks na bij het museum.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
- Ruimtes te huur
- Bruiloften / trouwceremonies
Tot 30 personen.
Civil wedding ceremonies on Saturdays in the historic attic room of the hammer mill for up to 30 guests, followed by a sparkling wine reception on the outdoor grounds for up to 50 people (1 hour €180, 3 hours €360). Dates are assigned by the Bergisch Gladbach registry office.
Aanvragen & detailsJe bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja · duur ca. 60 min. |
|---|---|
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
| Goed om te weten | Average length of stay according to the museum 1–2 hours. Public tour on the last Sunday of the month, 14:00–15:00 (max. 20 people). Group tours by advance registration, on request also on mining on the grounds; recommended group size up to 20 people. During the season from April to November, volunteer craftspeople demonstrate their craft on Sunday afternoons. |
