Heimatmuseum und Archiv Wandsbek

In the historical fabric of the Wandsbek district, the Heimatmuseum Wandsbek plays a central role in preserving regional memory. It deals with the history of the formerly independent town, which has belonged to the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg since 1937. The museum is run by the Bürgerverein Wandsbek von 1848 e.V.

The premises currently in use are located in the Morewood-Stift at Böhmestraße 20, a 19th-century residential foundation built around 1870 by the daughters of the Hamburg merchant Joseph Morewood and originally serving as a retirement home. Before moving to the Morewood-Stift, the museum was housed in the Bovehaus; it later moved into the Luetkens family villa in Eichtalpark, where the building and a large part of the archive were lost in World War II due to a bombing raid. Since July 1979 the Heimatmuseum has been based in the Morewood-Stift; in the early 1990s the Bürgerverein, together with the Heimatring, took over the building and established the museum there.

The collection presents Wandsbek’s history through maps, photographs and exhibition objects. On display are materials relating to the role of Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann and to Joseph Morewood’s connection with the Wandsbeker Schloss. Also exhibited are documents concerning Matthias Claudius and the newspaper Der Wandsbecker Bothe. The history of the Wandsbek Hussars can likewise be traced in the museum.