Wappenschmiede Elmstein
Water-powered hammer forge from 1792 on the Speyerbach in Elmstein – a working museum with blacksmith demonstrations on the first Sunday of the month.
Over het museum
Johann Adam Lanz set up the tool forge on the mill race of the Speyerbach in 1792; he also owned the grain and sawmill opposite. The name has nothing to do with weapons for the nearby Staufer castle: in the Palatinate, until the 19th century, all iron implements were called "Wappen." Three water wheels drove four tail hammers, the bellows of the forge fire, and a large grindstone.
After Lanz's death in 1822, the Römer family ran the forge until it went bankrupt in 1886/87; the Haag family then took over. Around 1890 a sawmill driven by transmission was added, and around 1900 the workshop was built over with a residential house. Mainly tools were made for forest workers, log rafters, stone breakers, masons, and agriculture. With Heinrich Haag, operations ended in 1975.
The municipality of Elmstein later acquired the forge and residence. As the water wheels and hammer frame increasingly fell into disrepair, a nonprofit Förderverein (friends' association) was founded in 2012 with the aim of making the hammer works operational again. Since then the site has been presented as a "working museum": on opening days there are blacksmith demonstrations, and guests can forge nails themselves and learn how the hammer forge works. A small museum on hammer works, mining, and smelting in the Elmstein valley is planned above the workshop.
Hoogtepunten
- Water-powered hammer works with tail hammer and spring hammer
- Historic forge fire and grinding shop with a large grindstone
- Hands-on nail forging
- Largely preserved workshop equipment of the Haag blacksmith family
- Annex of the former sawmill on the mill race of the Speyerbach
Vaste collectie
- Hammerwerk und Schmiedewerkstatt – The originally furnished workshop with water-powered hammer works, forge fire, and grindstone is demonstrated in operation on opening days.
- Beheerder
- Ortsgemeinde Elmstein; Betrieb durch den Förderverein historische Wappenschmiede Elmstein e. V.
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
De toegang is gratis.
Free admission; donations for the restoration and operation of the forge are requested. Prices for booked tours on request.
Toegankelijkheid
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd – vraag het rechtstreeks na bij het museum.
Kinderen & gezin
- Doe- en voelstations
Visitors can try their hand at nail forging under guidance.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
Elmstein Schule · 5 min. lopen
S-Bahn S1 or S2 to Lambrecht station, then bus line 517 toward Iggelbach to "Elmstein Schule" (travel time about 22 minutes).
Met de auto
Parkeerplaats aanwezig
Parking at the reservoir directly at the forge.
From the east via the A 65 (exit Neustadt-Nord) and the B 39 toward Kaiserslautern, turn off to Elmstein in Lambrecht; from the west via the A 6 (exit Enkenbach-Alsenborn), Hochspeyer, and Johanniskreuz. The forge is located below the castle rock on the mill race of the Speyerbach.
Route plannenService & 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.
Je bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja |
|---|---|
| Goed om te weten | On opening days there are blacksmith demonstrations as well as explanations of the history, technology, and renovation of the forge. Tours can be booked through a local guide, the Förderverein (friends' association), or as part of a village walk; inquiries are handled by the Besucherinformationszentrum Elmstein (visitor information center). |
