Industriemuseum Lohne, Industrial museum in Lohne, Germany

The Industriemuseum Lohne opened in 2000 in a new building opposite Lohne station at Küstermeyerstraße 20. Its permanent displays cover goose-quill writing nibs, tobacco and cigars, cork, brushes, mechanical engineering, plastics and peat, plus a moor archaeology section and Roman coins found in the region. A steam engine and a reconstructed classroom are part of the exhibits.

The Lohner Heimatverein asked the town to found a museum in 1986, handing over a collection and 10,000 DM in start-up funding; Helmut Ottenjann pushed for a museum of Lohne's industrial history. It opened on 1 May 1988 in a former school on Gertrudenstraße, with about 200 m² allowing only one focus exhibition at a time. In 1996 the town transferred the museum to the newly founded Verein Industrie Museum Lohne e. V., and a new building opposite the railway station at Küstermeyerstraße 20 opened in 2000, funded by local companies, the town and EU money. A 2021 extension added a lecture hall, special exhibition room and the Galerie Luzie Uptmoor.

The exhibition shows how local craft traditions gradually transformed into modern manufacturing methods, which you can see clearly displayed in the rooms. This shift reflects how work practices and daily life in the region changed over time.

The museum stands at Küstermeyerstraße 20, directly opposite Lohne railway station, so arriving by train is straightforward. The building is certified barrier-free and child-friendly, and the Lohner Infopunkt tourist information office has been housed inside since 2014. A museum café styled after an old station tavern and a shop with regional history literature are on site.

A working steam engine about a century old still operates in the museum, showing visitors how factories had to function in the early 20th century. This operational machine gives a direct sense of the power and noise that once filled the workshops.