Autumn Steam at the Historic Engine Shed Wittenberge

A Weekend with Steam on the Elbe

The Autumn Steam weekend is the traditional season finale in the event calendar of the Historic Engine Shed Wittenberge. From Spring Steam in April to Autumn Steam in October, Dampflokfreunde Salzwedel e.V. opens the large railway depot next to Wittenberge station several times a year – but the October date has a special character: it marks the end of the operating season, and the locomotives are then shunted into their winter quarters.

Hands-On Program

At the engine shed on October 10th and 11th, 2026, a program awaits that will delight real railway enthusiasts: historic steam and diesel locomotives will be steaming and running laps on the shed grounds; a locomotive parade will bring several machines to life simultaneously; cab rides offer a look into the inner sanctum of locomotive culture; and handcar rides on the works tracks are particularly popular with families. Additionally, there will be lectures and demonstration workshops – the engine shed is not just a museum, but an active workshop for historic rail vehicles.

The Wittenberge Engine Shed

The Historic Engine Shed Wittenberge was built at the end of the 19th century as a large railway depot – Wittenberge was a hub for the Berlin–Hamburg and Magdeburg–Stralsund lines and was equipped accordingly. Today, the area is one of the few completely preserved roundhouse engine sheds in Germany. Dampflokfreunde Salzwedel e.V. took it over after reunification and has operated it as a railway museum with an active workshop ever since.

Wittenberge — Railway Town on the Elbe

Wittenberge is located in the Prignitz district in the northwestern corner of Brandenburg, directly on the Elbe river. The town owes its rise in the 19th century to railway construction – the Singer sewing machine factory, the oil mill, and the large railway depot made it an industrial city. With the decline of industry after 1989, the engine shed became one of the few industrial monuments that were not demolished but actively preserved. Today, it is one of the most important sights in the Prignitz region.

A Date for the Whole Family

The Autumn Steam weekend is explicitly family-friendly. Children pay reduced admission, and family tickets are affordable. For many children, the handcar ride or the cab ride on a steaming locomotive is the real highlight – an encounter with technological history that gets under your skin.