(c) by Foto: Ralph Kunz
Description [EN]
On the site of the former Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf marshalling yard is the Schauplatz Eisenbahn. Covering 260,000 m², it is Europe’s largest railway museum and ranks among the five most important museums of its kind in Germany. Schauplatz Eisenbahn is a joint project of the Saxon Railway Museum (Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum e.V.) and the Technikmuseum Seilablaufanlage, and it is presented at the authentic location of the former marshalling yard together with the associated locomotive depot. The heyday of the railway ... During the 19th century rail traffic in Chemnitz grew so strongly that passenger and freight traffic had to be separated. To that end, one of Germany’s largest marshalling yards was built in Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf between 1896 and 1902. By the mid-1920s it had already reached its capacity limits. Since spatial expansion was not possible, the capacity problem was solved technically with a rope-operated hump yard system. This technology increased performance during peak times to as many as 3,600 wagons per day. The process of deindustrialization in the region and the shift of freight traffic to road transport after 1990 led to a sharp decline in operations. Due to maintenance shortcomings, the rope-hauled system was decommissioned in 1992 and shunting operations ceased in 1996. Listed buildings, technical installations and historic vehicles give the museum its unique atmosphere. Highlights include the world‑unique rope-hauled hump yard and the complete locomotive depot with two roundhouses (heating sheds) with 20‑meter turntables and formerly 26 stalls each, as well as the coaling and sanding facilities, water cranes, an axle-drop pit, a washing plant, the workshop with historic machine tools, and much more. The noteworthy vehicle collection comprises steam, diesel and electric locomotives of various classes as well as historic passenger and freight cars. A large 600 mm gauge field railway with various locomotives and countless wagons as well as several model railways are also part of the museum. Of particular significance for the city of Chemnitz—once called the “Saxon Manchester”—are some steam locomotives built by the Sächsische Maschinenfabrik, formerly Richard Hartmann AG, in Chemnitz. This company delivered its first locomotive, named "GLÜCKAUF", to the Saxon-Bavarian State Railway in 1848. By 1929 a total of 4,699 had been manufactured and shipped from Chemnitz all over the world, some of which are still in service today. The visitor center is housed in the historic goods shed from 1916; it also leads to one of the two club-owned libraries. The introductory exhibition covers 180 years of railway history in Saxony, Saxon pioneering achievements, the history of the Sächsische Maschinenfabrik (formerly Richard Hartmann), and the special features of Saxon narrow-gauge railways; the offering is supplemented by a video documentation of the shunting processes in Hilbersdorf. Central technical and exhibition sites are the rope-hauled hump yard with signal box 3 (commissioned 1930) and signal box 2 with the winding-machine hall. Original lever frames, indicators and three tension towers each fitted with 10.5‑ton weights demonstrate how the system worked. Typical work processes such as manually identifying the wagons, “lengthening” the couplings, braking using shunting blocks, and the recuperation of kinetic energy are part of the presentation. Further holdings include the locomotive depot with two roundhouses, a signal garden with around 50 signals, and a 1,000 m‑long field railway with 600 mm gauge.
Services
Families with children
kindgerechte Erläuterungen einzelner Stationen via QR-Code auf dem eigenen Mobiltelefon, Familienführungen, Bastelbahnhof, Ferienangebote, Feldbahnfahrten, Bollerwagen-Verleih
Adolescents, pupils
Umfangreiches Museumspädagogisches Angebot und Führungen in Abstimmung auf den Lehrplan nach Absprache möglich.
Adult
Spezialführungen zu Signal- und Sicherungstechnik
Seniors
An den Wochenenden verkehrt zwischen den beiden musealen Hotspots (Befehlsstellwerk / Bahnbetriebswerk) ein kostenfreier SchienenShuttle.
Disabled person
Unsere Museumspädagogik ist bemüht die besonderen Bedürfnisse dieser Besuchergruppe zu berücksichtigen.
Car parking
für ca. 250 Fahrzeuge kostenfrei
Bus parking
kostenfrei
Connection public transport
Buslinie 21 - Haltestelle Schauplatz Eisenbahn
Lockers
Im Besucherzentrum am Eingangsbereich
Lendable baby carriages and baby carriers
Bollerwagen im Besucherzentrum/Kasse am Eingangsbereich zu entleihen.
Baby changing facilities
In der Familien- und Behindertentoilette im Besucherzentrum sowie in der Familien- und Behindertentoilette im Sozialgebäude.
Audioguides
Audioguide zu den wichtigsten Themen und zu allen Gebäuden, technischen Anlagen und Großobjekten via QR-Code auf dem eigenen Mobiltelefon
Publicly accessible library / archive / study rooms
Bibliotheken und Dokumentenarchive der beiden Vereine sind nach Anmeldung und terminlicher Absprache nutzbar.
Cafe/Restaurant
Im Kesselhaus im Museumshof zwischen den beiden Rundhäusern ist an den Öffnungstagen ein Imbiss-Angebot verfügbar.
Museumsshop
Im Besucherzentrum am Eingangsbereich
Event room / lecture rooms (rentable)
mehrere Veranstaltungsräume für Personenzahlen zwischen 5 und 500 Teilnehmern verfügbar.
Note regarding pets (if necessary, dog care on the spot)
Hunde aller Größen können mitgenommen werden. Bitte achten Sie darauf, dass diese andere Gäste nicht stören. Hundekot bitte aufnehmen und in den Müllbehältern auf dem Gelände entsorgen.
Notes on using your smartphone or cameras
Fotoaufnahmen für private Zwecke sind erlaubt. Aufnahmen mit professioneller Technik und zur kommerziellen Nutzung nur nach Absprache.
Guided tours and group offers
Kostenfreie Familienführungen werden in regelmäßigen Abständen am Wochenende angeboten.
Accessibility
Access with ramp
Yes
Guidance system for visually impaired people, Tactile / acoustic map
Yes
Access stairless
No
Access with ramp
No
Elevator with tactile font / announcement
No
Disabled toilet
Yes
Inscription in braille
No
Acoustically accessible exhibition objects
Yes
Tactile accessible exhibition objects
Yes
Print medium in braille inscription / large print
No
Tactile / audio tours
No
Guided tours in sign language
No
Additional information on Accessibility
Unser Haus ist barrierearm! Einzelne Räume sind für Besucher im Rollstuhl nicht zugänglich. Alle wesentlichen Informationstexte sind als Audiofiles verfügbar. Tastmodelle vermitteln Informationen zum Museum und zu einzelnen Objekten.