"Glowing Heritage" – Special Exhibition at Lauchhammer Foundry Museum

Lauchhammer — City of Castings

Lauchhammer, in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, has been the city of castings since 1725. In that year, Benedicta Margaretha Freifrau von Löwendal — a remarkable 18th-century entrepreneur — commissioned the first blast furnace in what is now Lauchhammer-Ost. This developed into a 300-year tradition of industrial iron and art casting that shapes the city's appearance to this day. The Foundry Museum documents this history in a listed school building from 1890, which adjoins the still active art foundry.

"Glowing Heritage" — 300 Years of Industrial Culture

The special exhibition "Glowing Heritage" is dedicated to this 300th anniversary. It opened in August 2025 and remains accessible until October 25, 2026. The focus is on the figure of Benedicta Margaretha von Löwendal — as one of Germany's first female industrialists, a notable figure in economic history — and the technical and cultural development of the ironworks from 1725 to the present-day foundry. The curator is Antje Bräuer.

Museum Collection

The main collection of the Foundry Museum comprises iron and bronze castings of sculptures and decorative objects. The centerpiece is a historical collection of foundry molds, displayed on open shelves in the former classrooms — a "visible storage" approach that makes the mold collection accessible rather than hidden. This pedagogically progressive form of presentation gives the museum its unique profile.

Opening Hours and Admission

Open Tuesday to Friday 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Saturday/Sunday/Public Holidays 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., closed Mondays. Admission €7 regular, €3.50 reduced (schoolchildren, students, job seekers), children under 6 free. Due to a road diversion, visitors can reach the museum via Kirchstraße — parking is available at the nearby church.

In the Oberspreewald-Lausitz District and the Lusatia Industrial Region

Lauchhammer is a city with a special industrial profile. With the structural change in Lusatia following the end of lignite mining, the cultural reappraisal of its industrial past has accelerated. The Foundry Museum positions itself as a central place of remembrance for this industrial tradition — and "Glowing Heritage" serves as an example of how regional industrial history can be vividly conveyed in a special exhibition.