Tuchfabrik Müller (Cloth Factory)

The tour through the former production facilities does not cease to astonish. For everything remained unchanged: On the wall is a tear-off calendar indicating the date on which the machines in the factory stopped and the gates were locked. On the door of the dyeing workshop it is still possible today to distinguish the chalk writing of Ludwig Müller who wrote the recipe for the dye solution there 40 years ago. Cigarette boxes, an old coffee pot, piles of hand-written notes. Everything conveys the impression of the last working day.

And then the old looms begin to work again. The shuttles whiz back and forth. Fine cloth is made from loose wool fibres. Powerful scribble machines comb the wool, delicate spinning machines form fine threads. On the regularly organised “Steam Sundays” the mighty steam engine dating from 1903 is at full power.

The Tuchfabrik Müller (Cloth Factory) is an unusual site. It conveys the impression as if history “itself” had set up the museum: The machines and tools, the large and small objects are there where they always belonged. Films, small installations and models support the experience of the factory world and tell of the work, of heat and steam in the dyeing workshop, of fascinating transmission mechanisms with countless wheels and cogs. Brief extracts from interviews with former employees bring their experience and feelings to life.