Bell City Museum Apolda

Bells from the Weimarer Land for the World

The classicist factory owner’s villa in Bahnhofstraße houses the GlockenStadtMuseum Apolda. The house is dedicated to the history of the bell-founding trade and the textile industry of the region.

The museum tells the cultural history of bells from their beginnings to the present day. Since 1722, well over 20,000 bells have been shipped from Apolda all over the world. Even though no more bells are cast here today, the tradition and culture of bells are still present. Of course, many of the bells on display can be rung.

The Apoldaer GlockenStadtMuseum offers the following insights:

the “bell archaeology” with bells of past cultures
the development of the bell-founding profession
the history of the Apolda bell foundries

What do Philadelphia, Buenos Aires, Rome, Jerusalem, Cologne, Hamburg, Dresden and Berlin have in common? Bells from Apolda ring in all these cities!

The Apolda textile industry

The knitting industry is presented using the example of the development of a renowned company with the ups and downs of this branch of industry. A variety of machines, patterns and garments illustrate this development process.

The “path of wool” can be traced on the wall frieze of the Zimmermann Building (along the windows of the WL District Office) in Bahnhofstraße as an introduction to the museum visit. The museum also hosts special exhibitions that change throughout the year, including very modern themes of the fashion industry.