
Industriemuseum Elmshorn
Hands-on museum on work and everyday life in the industrial age in a warehouse from 1890 in Elmshorn, with a steam engine in demonstration.
Over het museum
It began with the teacher and local historian Konrad Struve, who founded the museum on a volunteer basis in October 1953. From 1981 on, work and everyday life of the industrial age in the Lower Elbe region moved to the center of the collection, which to this day also includes objects on city history from prehistory and early history onward.
The museum building is a five-story warehouse that the porcelain and earthenware dealer Christian Hinrich Carstens had built around 1890 on Catharinenstraße. Later the wholesaler I. P. H. Kröger and a margarine factory stored their goods here; around 1970 the interior floors were reduced from five to four. In 1988 the city of Elmshorn bought the by then listed building, furnished it step by step, and opened it fully as an industrial museum by 1993; since 1991 it has been a municipal institution.
On four floors, the museum covers the leather, textile, and food industries, shipbuilding and the port, crafts, workers' housing and school, and the Nazi era. The permanent exhibition was modernized in stages over around ten years, most recently the first floor in 2022. Many stations invite you to try things out, and the steam engine is demonstrated. The museum also includes the Konrad-Struve-Haus der Ortsgeschichte (local history house) as a branch and the Jewish cemetery hall. The museum is recognized as a "Zertifiziertes Museum" (certified museum) in Schleswig-Holstein.
Hoogtepunten
- Historic steam engine with demonstration
- Leather production and looms of the textile industry
- Colonial goods shop and workers' apartment around 1920
- Museum classroom as around 1900
- Hands-on stations with Bertha the museum mouse
Vaste collectie
- Industrie und Arbeit (Erdgeschoss) – Steam engine, time clock, leather and textile production, and a counting house show how industrialization changed work and time.
- Handwerk, Hafen und Industriestandort (1. Obergeschoss) – Shipbuilding, port, mill, brickworks, and old crafts tell of Elmshorn's rise to an industrial center on the Krückau.
- Alltag, Schule und Zeitgeschichte (2. und 3. Obergeschoss) – Workers' apartment, colonial goods shop, and the food industry, plus a museum classroom and rooms on the Nazi era, the war, and the postwar period.
- Opgericht
- 1953
- Beheerder
- Stadt Elmshorn
- Directie
- Sven Bracke
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
| Volwassenen | € 4 |
|---|---|
| Kinderen & jongeren | –Children free |
Members of the friends' association have free admission. Konrad-Struve-Haus and Jewish cemetery hall: free admission.
Toegankelijkheid
- Rolstoeltoegankelijk
- Lift
- Aangepast toilet
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
- Hulphonden welkom
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
All floors reachable by elevator, ample space and seating in the exhibition rooms. Free mobile seating aids that also serve as walking and standing aids. Wheelchair-accessible restroom on the first floor. Touching is welcome at many stations; tours "Geschichte für alle Sinne" (History for All Senses) and tours for people with dementia. Accessible parking spaces in front of Schulstraße 20. No animals allowed except assistance dogs.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
- Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
- Doe- en voelstations
- Kinderfeestjes
Free museum suitcase with a puzzle booklet from kindergarten age and children's audio guide. At the hands-on stations with Bertha the museum mouse, children can operate the time clock, grind flour, try out the treadle sewing machine, or sit at the old school desk. Children's birthday parties (max. 10 children, except Sundays) with many themed programs, family tours, and holiday programs.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
Elmshorn (Bahnhof) · 4 min. lopen
Regional train from Hamburg Hbf in about 25 minutes to Elmshorn; from the station (Königstraße/city center exit) about 4 minutes on foot. Bus stops Bf. Elmshorn (ZOB) and Bf. Elmshorn (Holstenstraße) within a few minutes' walk.
Met de auto
Geen eigen parkeerplaats bij het museum.
No dedicated parking lot. On Catharinenstraße, spaces with a parking disc (max. 2 hours); on Schulstraße and at Holstenplatz, paid parking for 2 hours (Mon–Fri 7:00–18:00, Sat 7:00–14:00). For longer visits, the P+R parking garage on Julius-Leber-Straße or Marktplatz Schauenburger Straße. Accessible parking spaces in front of Schulstraße 20.
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
By car via the A 23, exit Elmshorn/Glückstadt, toward the city center; after the railway underpass turn right onto Berliner Straße, then right onto Schulstraße and left onto Catharinenstraße.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Café
- Museumwinkel
Museum café with organic coffee and tea and cold drinks; museum shop with catalogs, publications on Elmshorn's history, and its own products. For groups, seating in the factory canteen and the museum courtyard.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
- Ruimtes te huur
- Privéfeesten
- Zakelijke evenementen
Tot 80 personen.
Rooms on the first floor: private celebrations of up to 40 people with a mandatory 60-minute tour (catering possible, drinks through the museum), commercial events of up to 80 people in theater-style seating. Inquiries by email.
Aanvragen & detailsJe bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja · duur ca. 1,5 uur |
|---|---|
| Audiotour | ja (DE, NDS, EN) |
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
| Fotograferen | For private purposes only, without flash or tripod |
| Goed om te weten | Public guided tour of the collection highlights on the last Sunday of every month, and regularly also family tours. Group programs usually last 1.5–2 hours and can be booked through the museum service (tel. 04121 231700). Free audio guide, also as a children's tour. |





