Glocken- und Stadtmuseum

The Glockenmuseum and the Stadtmuseum in Apolda are housed together in a Neoclassical industrialist’s villa on Bahnhofstraße. The Glockenmuseum was established in 1952 and is dedicated to the cultural history of the bell: bell archaeology, the development of the European tower bell, bell-casting technology, the history of the Apolda foundries, and non-European bells are among its focal points.

The municipal history exhibition moved into the new museum building as early as 1951; since the late 1950s the Stadtmuseum has focused primarily on the local textile industry. Using the company “Christian Zimmermann & Sohn” as an example, the ups and downs of this branch of industry are illustrated. Numerous machines, fabric samples and garments demonstrate the production process and the influence of the trade on the town.

The building itself was erected in the mid-19th century as a residence with a warehouse annex; economic crises early on led to changes of ownership before the house passed into municipal hands in the 1920s. It served for a long time as a residential and administrative building and at times housed the city library, a police station and other municipal functions.

The museums emerged from a Heimatmuseum movement of the 1930s. After several locations — first in the attic of a school, then in the church space of the Martinskirche — the collections were transferred to the Bahnhofstraße house in 1951. A special exhibition on bell art in 1952 formed the starting point for the permanent Glockenmuseum. In the 1960s additional rooms were added and the presentation was gradually upgraded technically and in content; following redesigns the Glockenmuseum was expanded and reopened in the early 1990s.

The Stadtmuseum documents the local textile history from the first mention of a knitter in 1593 up to the political turning point of 1989/1990, shows the transition from hand-knitting to machine production, the emergence of textile machinery manufacturing in the 19th century, and the effects of inflation, the Great Depression, war and centrally planned production. Documentation of the ideological use of bells during the Nazi era remains incomplete. In 2020 the holdings of the “Museumsbaracke Olle DDR” were also taken over and are presented in rotating exhibitions.

The museum closed in January 2024 for renovation work; a temporary museum in the Eiermannbau, Auenstraße 11, was opened in May 2024. Long-term loans from a family — including 22 bells and extensive material — remain in the collection, with an extended loan period until 2041. The collection also includes the oldest church bell in Thuringia from the St.-Petri-Kirche in Aschara, created by the bell-founder Wolfgerus in the 12th century.

A friends’ association has supported the museum since 2011 with events and public outreach; the group’s open composition enables regular participation and a programme of events under the title “Gelber Montag im Museum,” featuring lectures, guided tours and film screenings.