History
lived.
A journey through historic workshops, shops and life stories from the Weser Marshes. Follow the golden thread.
Follow the golden thread.
Our permanent exhibition weaves together historic craftsmanship and rural life across multiple buildings into a vivid picture of centuries past. The golden thread guides you through all five chapters of our collection.
The Rococo Door
The historic entrance door of our main building from 1773 has returned. After extensive restoration this precious original is once again in its full splendour — one of the most significant pieces in our collection.
Trade & Health
Pharmacy, medicine, colonial goods and the barber shop — everyday life on the historic ground floor.
The Burg Pharmacy
Step into the world of fine fragrances and historic healing arts. The faithful reconstruction is furnished with original fittings from the Laer family pharmacy. Original glass jars, antique scales and mortars bring a historic dispensary vividly to life.
Medicine & Dentistry
Historic dentist chairs, delicate surgical instruments and the equipment of a country doctor from the 19th and 20th centuries tell of a time when healthcare looked very different.
The Grocery Store
From loose sugar to rough bar soap, our shop shows the regional retail trade before the era of modern supermarkets. Historic shelves, scales and nostalgic advertising signs are waiting for you.
The Barber's Salon
In rural communities the barber was not only responsible for cutting hair but often also served as a bath-keeper and tooth-puller. Historic hair dryers and fine shaving tools await you in this carefully recreated space.
Ovelgönne Castle & Archaeology
Historic finds, archaeological objects and documents tell of the medieval castle fortification. A scale model in the museum garden rounds out the picture of what once shaped life in this region.
The Historic Jail
The reconstructed historic jail gives a sobering glimpse into the conditions of imprisonment in centuries past — and reminds us how differently law and punishment were once interpreted.
Storage jars in mouth-blown glass from the Burg-Apotheke. Every jar hand-labelled, every inscription unique.
Craft & Building
Blacksmith, wall painting, thatching, textiles, wagon-making — the craft foundations of rural life.
The Old Blacksmith's
In our outdoor area, a fully equipped and functional historic smithy awaits. On our event days the iron is made hot once more and the craft is demonstrated before your eyes.
Wall Decoration & Painting
Elaborate wall paintings, delicate stencilling techniques and specialist tools of the painter's trade tell of design trends from past eras in the Weser Marshes region.
Thatching
The traditional art of thatching continues to shape the landscape of the Weser Marshes to this day. We show you the specific tools, refined techniques and natural materials of this ancient and weatherproof craft.
Textiles & Leatherwork
Old spinning wheels, leather tools and finished goods show how laborious and time-consuming the making of clothing and everyday objects once was — from the cobbler to the fine weaver.
The Wheelwright's Workshop
In an annex to the museum, our wheelwright's workshop shows how craftspeople once built carts, wagons and wheels for rural commerce. Specialised tools make clear the precision this craft demanded.
Joinery & Timber Framing
From the finely crafted piece of furniture to the load-bearing roof beam: the upper floor displays the diversity of wood-working trades in tools and sample pieces of the highest craftsmanship.
The Guild Corner
Historic insignia, certificates and emblems from various trades across the Weser Marshes region offer an insight into the organised craft life of centuries past.
Food & Home
Bakery, butchery, kitchen — the world of eating, cooking and domestic work before industrialisation.
Bakery & Confectionery
Our bakehouse shows the heavy work of bakers before the age of large machines. From the heavy flour sack to the wooden peel, everything is preserved in its original state.
Butcher's Shop
Historic sausage fillers, butcher's knives and the equipment of a classic slaughterhouse tell of home slaughtering and professional meat processing in the region.
Kitchen & Household
Heavy equipment, cast-iron pots and coarse textiles illustrate the hard working day in the historic household — from cooking over an open fire to the time-consuming care of laundry.
A wooden bread peel set. Generations of bakers shaped the bread that fed a whole community with these same handles.
Culture & People
Singer's Room, photography, watchmaking, Bakelite — the cultural life and remarkable people who shaped Ovelgönne.
The Singer's Room
The Singer's Room honours significant historic personalities from the region and the men's choir, which shaped the social life of the community across generations.
Photography & Optics
From the camera obscura to early analogue photography: historic cameras, developing equipment and optical instruments show how capturing moments was once a revolutionary art.
The Watchmaker's Workshop
Historic grandfather and pocket watches, delicate tools and the mechanisms with which craftspeople once built and repaired clockwork by hand — watchmaking was a precision craft of the highest order.
Bakelite — Pioneers of Plastic
Household objects, casings and technical components made from Bakelite recall how a single material defined an entire era. The world's first fully synthetic plastic.
Ovelgönne's History
The social commitment of the Zedelius siblings, the artistic legacy of Wolfgang Heinbach and many other personalities have left their traces. Portraits and personal belongings bring history to life.
Nature, Technology & Heritage
Peat cutting, historic large machines, master certificates and the archive — the material foundations of life in the Weser Marshes.
Peat Cutting
The "black gold" of the marshes. Old spades, wooden carts and stories around peat extraction show how laborious and yet essential this work was for survival and heating in the region.
Historic Large Machines
In the museum garden, impressive historic agricultural machines are accessible under the open sky. These machines show powerfully how technology and craftsmanship transformed farming in the Weser Marshes.
The Master Certificate Gallery
Elaborately designed historic master certificates from a wide variety of trades adorn the staircase. These testaments to the highest craftsmanship show the pride with which master's examinations were once passed.
The Archive
The memory of the museum. Protected documents, old photographs and writings of inestimable value for academic research and genealogical research in the Weser Marshes.
The Bürgerhaus of Ovelgönne. For more than 250 years it has carried the stories of craft, community and life in the Weser Marshes.
Experience it yourself.
This was just a glimpse of our full tour. Come and visit, breathe in the atmosphere of our house and discover many more rooms and stories in Ovelgönne.
Plan your visit