Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum

Over het museum

In the late 19th century, one of Germany’s major marshalling yards was built in the northeast of Chemnitz, with an associated locomotive depot from 1898. Raw materials, semi-finished products, and finished goods from Saxon industry passed through Hilbersdorf. The depot, with two roundhouses and turntables as well as coaling and sanding facilities, serviced steam locomotives until 1988; shunting operations ended in the mid-1990s.

After the depot closed in 1992, the association Verein Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum took over the facilities and opened them to the public as a museum. Since then, volunteer members have restored vehicles, kept the workshop and technical equipment running, and organized special trips with historic trains. The collection includes steam, diesel, and electric locomotives of various classes, as well as passenger cars, freight cars, and a narrow-gauge field railway.

For the 4th Saxon State Exhibition in 2020, the railroad museum and the neighboring Technikmuseum Seilablaufanlage, run by the Eisenbahnfreunde Richard Hartmann, joined forces under the shared name “Schauplatz Eisenbahn.” Covering some 26 hectares, the site has since been one of the largest railroad museums in Europe by area. Highlights include the world’s only surviving rope-hauled hump yard with signal box 3 (Befehlsstellwerk 3), the locomotive depot with its locomotive exhibition, several themed exhibitions on Saxon railroad history, a signal garden, and a large model railroad layout.

Hoogtepunten

• Rope-hauled hump yard of the former marshalling yard with signal box 3
• Roundhouses of the locomotive depot with steam, diesel, and electric locomotives
• Cab of steam locomotive 44 1338 open to visitors
• 300-meter-long signal garden
• HO-scale model railroad layout (28 m²) and field railway rides
• Heizhausfest (engine shed festival) with guest locomotives (August)

Vaste collectie

• Bahnbetriebswerk und Lokomotivausstellung – The roundhouses of the former depot house steam, diesel, and electric locomotives as well as historic cars; the site also includes turntables, the coaling plant, and a workshop from the steam era.
• Seilablaufanlage und Befehlsstellwerk 3 – This technical monument of the marshalling yard shows how freight cars were sorted using a rope-driven system; the signal box illustrates the work of the yard crews.
• Themenausstellungen zur Eisenbahngeschichte – Several exhibitions cover the railroad in Saxony and central Germany, the Hilbersdorf freight yard, railroad technology, and the role of the railroad under dictatorships, complemented by the signal garden and HO model railroad.

Opgericht

1992

Beheerder

Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum e. V. und Eisenbahnfreunde Richard Hartmann Chemnitz e. V. (Schauplatz Eisenbahn)

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices according to the Schauplatz Eisenbahn website and the 2026 annual program. The association’s website sem-chemnitz.de still lists older prices (reduced €6, reduced group rate €5, guided tour €50). Special trips on the museum train have their own fares.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

According to the museum, the site is largely accessible; there are reserved parking spaces and restrooms for people with disabilities. The free Schauplatz-Express (on weekends) connects the hump yard and the locomotive depot.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations

Children's tour "Max zeigt's euch!" (Max shows you!) by children for children, scavenger hunt around the site, hands-on activities, holiday courses, and a picnic area for families; recognized as a family-friendly leisure facility in Saxony. On weekends, the free Schauplatz-Express runs across the roughly 1 km-long grounds.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

By car: A 4, exits Chemnitz-Ost or Chemnitz-Glösa. Entrance and ticket desk in the visitor center at the freight shed.

Service & horeca

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd – vraag het rechtstreeks na bij het museum.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd – vraag het rechtstreeks na bij het museum.

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