Name: Solingen Cutlery Saturday 2026
Start: 2026-09-05T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-09-05T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Vier Manufakturen (Güde, Robert Herder, Kretzer, Becker) + LVR-Industriemuseum

Cutlery Saturday

About Cutlery Saturday

Once a year — on the first Saturday in September — Solingen's cutlery manufactories open their workshop gates. Four houses with over four hundred years of blade tradition combined showcase live forging, grinding, and finishing. The LVR Industrial Museum complements the offering. With a stamp card, museum entry is free after collecting three stamps, and all stations offer pure manufactory prices on high-quality Solingen craftsmanship.

Dates 05 Sep — 05 Sep 2026

Venue Solingen (05122)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Cutlery Saturday — edition 2026

Tickets →

The 18th edition of the Cutlery Saturday takes place on September 5, 2026, from 9 AM to 4 PM. The four manufactories Güde, Robert Herder, Kretzer, and Becker Solingen open their workshops. The LVR Industrial Museum is open from 11 AM to 6 PM. Museum entry is free with a stamp card.

Saturday, September 5, 2026, 9 AM to 4 PM — the Solingen cutlery manufactories open their workshops to an interested public. At Güde, Robert Herder, Kretzer, and Becker, live demonstrations from ongoing production will take place: forging, grinding, scissor assembly, precision work on manicure tools.

The LVR Industrial Museum (former Hendrichs drop forge) is open from 11 AM to 6 PM. Those who collect three stamps on their card get in for free. Factory sales at all locations with exclusive discounts on blades, scissors, and tools.

Highlights Cutlery Saturday 2026

Live forging at Güde, grinding at Herder, scissor assembly at Kretzer, precision manufacturing at Becker; factory sales at all locations; LVR Industrial Museum free with stamp card.

Programme Cutlery Saturday 2026

Saturday, September 5, 2026 — 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Participating Manufactories

GÜDE (founded 1910) — Live forging of kitchen knives, factory sales
ROBERT HERDER (founded 1872) — Grinding and finishing, exclusive discounts
KRETZER (founded 1923) — Live scissor production, factory sales of tailor's and hairdresser's scissors
BECKER Solingen (founded 1930) — Manicure/pedicure tools, precision demonstration

LVR Industrial Museum (11:00 AM–6:00 PM)

Historical Hendrichs drop forge (1886)
With stamp card from 3 stamps: Free entry

Stamp Card

Collect one stamp at each manufactory — three stamps = free museum entry. Card available at all stations.

Full program and addresses: solinger-schneidwaren-samstag.de.

Prices Cutlery Saturday 2026

Entry to all manufactories is free. LVR Museum free after collecting 3 stamps on the stamp card.

Practical information

Practical information — Cutlery Saturday

Getting There

S-Bahn line S7 to Solingen, then bus or taxi to the individual manufactories (distributed throughout the city area). By car via the A46 motorway.

Admission

Entry to the manufactories is free. LVR Industrial Museum: free entry with a stamp card (3 stamps).

Note

Factory sales with discounts at many manufactories — cash recommended, some small stalls do not accept card payments.

Solingen — City of Blades with a World Reputation

Solingen, the "City of Blades" in the Bergisches Land (North Rhine-Westphalia), has been synonymous with high-quality knives, scissors, and cutting tools for centuries. Solingen blades were already in demand throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. Today, "Solingen" is a protected designation of origin — buying a knife from this city means buying a piece of economic history. The Cutlery Saturday is the once-a-year opportunity to experience this tradition firsthand.

The Four Manufactories

For years, four traditional Solingen manufactories have participated:

GÜDE (founded 1910): forged steel knives, 25 employees — one of the top addresses for handmade kitchen knives.
ROBERT HERDER (founded 1872): premium blades, 69 employees — chefs in particular swear by their thin, sharp knives.
KRETZER (founded 1923): scissor specialist, 50 employees — tailor's and hairdressing scissors of world renown.
BECKER Solingen (founded 1930): manicure and pedicure tools, 115 employees — specialist for high-precision cosmetic tools.

Stamp Card and Museum Entry

Visitors receive a stamp card, which is stamped at each manufactory. With three stamps, you get free entry to the LVR Industrial Museum (former Hendrichs drop forge, founded 1886) — one of the most impressive industrial monuments in NRW. The museum extends its opening hours to 6 PM on this day and is part of the staged manufactory tour.

Live Demonstrations from the Workshop

What distinguishes the Cutlery Saturday from a normal open day: Live demonstrations from ongoing production take place in each manufactory. At GÜDE, blacksmiths forge glowing steel on historical hammers. At Herder, grinders demonstrate their craft. Kretzer demonstrates scissor assembly. Becker shows precision work on mini-tools that are barely visible to the naked eye.

Factory Prices and Direct Sales

The economic appeal for many visitors: Factory outlet prices and exclusive discounts apply at all four locations on this Saturday. A handmade Solingen kitchen knife can be significantly cheaper here than in specialist retail. Those who invest seriously in cutting tools (chefs, hobby craftsmen, hairdressers) often plan the Cutlery Saturday months in advance.