Revolution in the Steel Museum: Brandenburg's future under the sign of industry!

Revolution in the Steel Museum: Brandenburg's future under the sign of industry!

Brandenburg an der Havel has historically established itself as a city of steel. This is made clear by the industrial museum located there, which houses the last remaining Siemens-Martin furnace in Europe and was once the largest steelworks in the GDR. For almost 30 years, the museum has been commemorating the region's steel history as well as other important industries such as textiles, vehicle construction, aircraft construction and toy manufacturing, which significantly influenced the city's development at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Despite the closure of the museum due to renovation work, industry remains a central pillar of urban development that must be promoted in order to preserve the city's cultural heritage and identity.

According to a letter to the editor in the local press, the call for a radical reorientation of the industrial museum can be heard loudly. What is required is that the museum no longer be run as a classic museum, but rather as a beacon for cultural and technical transformation. This innovative vision aims to establish the industrial museum as a hybrid model that functions as a science center, creative campus and experience stage. In the future, it should not only be regionally rooted, but also nationally visible and European networked.

Future visions and challenges

The ambitious goal of the initiators is to make the museum an identification point for Brandenburg an der Havel, with a target number of visitors of 100,000 annually. However, to turn this vision into reality requires an increase in financial grants of 40,000 euros, which is considered insufficient. The museum's circle of supporters should also be expanded. In comparison, the museum recorded an increase in financial resources from 120,000 euros to 189,000 euros between 2015 and 2023, but without any significant changes in offerings.

The Völklingen Ironworks, which is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the only completely preserved ironworks from industrialization, is cited as an example of a successful transformation in industrial history. Similar developments should also be sought for the industrial museum in Brandenburg an der Havel in order to meet the challenges of a changing time and to underline the importance of industry for the future of the city.

Comparison with other museums

The Brandenburg an der Havel Industrial Museum is part of a network of important museums dedicated to the topic of steel and industry. This is part of it Herrenwyk Industrial Museum History Workshop, which deals with the history of the Lübeck blast furnace works and its workers, as well as this East Bavaria Mining and Industrial Museum, which deals with the industrial history of the Upper Palatinate.

There are also numerous other institutions that document the cultural significance of steel integration and industrial history. So e.g. B. that Hoesch Museum Dortmund, which addresses the role of the steel industry in the Ruhr area, as well as this LWL Museum Henrichshütte, which offers insights into the industrial history of steel and iron.

The challenges and opportunities that arise for the industrial museum in Brandenburg an der Havel are complex. The planned realignment could not only function as a place for future education, but also as a sustainable source of inspiration beyond 2040. The commitment of the CDU parliamentary group, which presented a concept for the future development of the museum, underlines the relevance and potential of this vision for the city.