AUTHOR Sophie Beinghaus
PUBLISHED 21. FEB 2025
Museums of the city of Lüdenscheid
The museums can be found at Sauerfelder Str. 14 in 58511 Lüdenscheid. Centrally located at the “Kulturhaus” bus stop and bordering the two streets Freiherr-vom-Stein-Straße and Gartenstraße. The history museum, under the direction of Dr. Eckhard Trox, and the municipal gallery, with Dr. Suanne Conzen as director, including a sculpture garden, are represented here. There are changing exhibitions on various topics as well as well-known classics such as the “Schnurre” narrow-gauge railway, which ran between Lüdenscheid and Altena, or the Ida Gerhardi exhibition. A varied program is offered with events, guided tours and museum educational content for children. In addition, the museum cafe is run by the inclusive cafe “Der kleine Prinz” during the museums’ opening hours.
Architecturally, the museum immediately catches the eye, as it is made up of two old villas that are connected by a glass structure. The first part, the villa to the east, was built in 1897 for the Barmer Bankverein. The second villa, the old office building, was built between 1908 and 1910. It was commissioned by the Lüdenscheid office and the district administrator Emil Opderbeck and is located on Freiherr-vom-Stein Street. The city of Lüdenscheid later commissioned the planning group Gutbrod, Billing, Peters and Ruff from Stuttgart, who were also responsible for the architecture and planning of the cultural center opposite. They converted the new building with the two old buildings into a new museum complex. In 1988, the museums moved in and opened their doors.
The old Lüdenscheid office building has been a listed building since July 1986, and you can still get married in the old office hall today.
Preparations are currently underway for the new permanent exhibition “Innovatia”. This will focus on industrial and city history from the perspective of innovative developments and outstanding entrepreneurial personalities.
It’s definitely worth a visit, and you can do so from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A big thank you to the Lüdenscheid History and Local History Association for their support with the
research work!