Glocken-StadtMuseum, Bell and city museum in Apolda, Germany

The Glocken-StadtMuseum occupies a classicist manufacturer's villa at Bahnhofstraße 41, built in 1854 for publisher Wilhelm Junge. Its five bell sections cover bell archaeology, the European tower bell in a reconstructed belfry room, casting and ringing, non-European bells, and bells in art and music. Ground-floor rooms trace Apolda's textile industry with machines, patterns and clothing.

The building began in 1854 as publisher Wilhelm Junge's residence, with a warehouse added in 1857; a worldwide trade crisis forced its auction in 1859. Franz Kreiter of Chr. Zimmermann & Sohn bought it in 1860, and his heirs sold it to Apolda in 1924. The city museum opened there in 1951, the bell museum followed in 1952, and the house closed for renovation in January 2024, with an interim museum opening in the Eiermannbau on 25 May 2024.

Since the 1992 redesign, visitors may touch and strike many of the bells on display, so the sound is part of the visit. One section traces bell motifs in art, literature, language and music. The museum's name changed in the 2010s to reflect the addition of the town history section.

The museum occupies a neoclassical villa at Bahnhofstraße 41; the building is not wheelchair accessible. Since January 2024 the house has been closed for renovation, and the interim museum opened on 25 May 2024 in the Eiermannbau at Auenstraße 11. Check which site is currently open before setting out.

You can ring many of the displayed bells yourself in this museum and experience their sound and vibration directly. A notable highlight is a large wall decoration depicting the town's historic wool production, connecting the bell craft to the region's textile heritage.