LWL Industrial Museum Gernheim Glassworks

Sand, soda and lime - the raw materials from which glass is made have remained the same to this day. Apart from that, a lot has changed in glass production over the last 700 years since the first forest glassworks were built on the banks of the Weser. In Petershagen, on the banks of the Weser, lies Gernheim - a factory site from the early 19th century.

A monumental cone tower on the steep banks of the Weser is a reminder of a 19th century glassworks that was one of the most important factories in north-west Germany for a time. As the site of the LWL Industrial Museum, the Gernheim glassworks primarily documents the living and working conditions during early industrialization. Visitors can watch glassmakers at work every day. The workers' houses, the former factory owner's villa, the administration, an inn, the basket weaving workshop with the factory school and Gernheim's landmark - the conical glassworks tower from 1826 - are still preserved today. The historic melting furnace has been reconstructed and equipped with new technology for show production. Glassmakers use the pipe to produce glasses and bottles from a red-hot mass, just as they did 100 years ago. A cutter and engraver finishes the glass once it has cooled. The pieces are sold in the museum store. The permanent exhibition presents the stages of glass production and provides information about the living and working conditions of the Gernheim workers and their families and offers a tour through the history of glass from 1800 to the present day. Exhibition: History, working life, packaging, transport & trade, glass history/stories, show production

With Auguste and Wilhelm in the glassworks - offer for children 
Auguste and Wilhelm are two glassmakers' children who lived in Gernheim 150 years ago. As figures, they accompany our young guests on their discovery tour through the museum. A discovery map leads to nine stations. Large picture books with short stories explain the work in the glassworks and the everyday life of the glassmakers. Young explorers can watch the glassmakers at work in the furnace and try out how hard it is to blow glass. In the workers' quarters, they have to put together a puzzle. Our young guests can also play with marbles, just like the glassmakers' children once did. Those who have correctly completed the questionnaire at the end of the museum rally will receive a prize and a certificate.

Marriage:
The manor house of the Gernheim glassworks was built in 1812 by the founder of the glassworks, Fritz Schrader. The owners of the glassworks lived there with their families until 1877. A few years ago, the rooms and garden were restored according to historical models, so that the former garden room, which was already used for social occasions in Schrader's time, now shines in new splendor. Civil wedding ceremonies can now be held here against a backdrop of decorative wall ornaments and with a view of the extensive garden. There are approx. 30 seats available (information: Petershagen registry office, tel. 05702-822141)

UNESCO:
The manual production of hand-blown hollow and flat glass was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2015.