Information on Accessibility

We want persons with a disability to visit the museum sites and feel comfortable there. Gesenkschmiede Hendrichs (Drop Forge) is organised with very few barriers and offers many different options. The museum staff would be pleased to assist you. Please speak to the staff if you need assistance or have questions.

For persons with a walking disability and wheelchair user

All areas at the Gesenkschmiede Hendrichs (Drop Forge) are accessible with walking aids and wheelchairs. The exhibition in the Hendrichs villa is, however, not accessible.

• A wheelchair-accessible lift is available. Loan wheelchairs and walking frames are available.
• A disabled toilet is also available.
• Access to all the rooms and facilities is without steps or with maximum one step.
• All openings/doors have a minimum width of 80 cm.

The individual areas fulfil further quality criteria for wheelchair users.

Further information:

• A parking space is available for persons with a disability. The path from the parking space to the entrance is easy to negotiate on foot and with mobility aids.
• The bus stop “Industriemuseum” is located 250 m away. The path to the museum is easy to negotiate on foot and with mobility aids. There are no steps or thresholds at the entrance to the main building.
• All rooms and facilities used by guests have no steps or thresholds or can be reached by lift (cabin size 110 cm x 152 cm).
• All doors/openings are at least 90cm wide (exception: the width of the door of the disabled toilet is 87 cm).
• The ticket counter is 78 cm and 102 cm high.
• Mobile seats, a wheelchair and a walking frame are available for loan.
• The tour around the museum is signposted.
• The exhibits can be viewed either standing or seated. An audio-guide is available in German, English and simple language. There are some audio stations, touch stations and films.
• Upon request guided tours for persons with a walking disability and wheelchair users can be arranged.

WC for persons with a disability

• The WC is located on the outdoor premises. It can be accessed along an easily negotiable path with a maximum gradient of 7% and with no steps.
• The movement area on the left next to the toilet is 99 cm x 66 cm (Width x Depth).
• Handles are available on both sides, the left handle folds upwards.
• The wash basin can be lowered.
• An alarm activator is available.

For deaf persons and persons with hearing disabilities

The LVR-Industriemuseum Gesenkschmiede Hendrichs (Drop Forge) offers guided tours for deaf persons and persons with hearing disabilities on specific dates. The guided tour lasts 90 minutes. Please consult our event calendar.

The guided tours are translated into German sign language by a sign language interpreter. The sign language interpreter is paid by the Landschaftsverband Rheinland.

Deaf persons can, of course, book individual guided tours with a sign language interpreter at a time to suit them during the opening hours of the museum. The guided tour lasts approx. 90 minutes. We will organise the sign language interpreter for you. The costs for the sign language interpreter are paid by the LVR. The guided tour costs 50€ plus the museum entrance fee. For persons with a severely handicapped pass the entrance to the permanent exhibition and temporary exhibition together costs 4 € per person. Children and adolescents have free entrance.

Please book at least four weeks prior to the desired date by completing the booking form (PDF, 42 KB) .

Further information:

• In the event of an acoustic alarm (e.g. fire alarm) there is no clearly visible flashing or blinking signal.
• In the lift the outgoing emergency call is confirmed acoustically.
• There is no inductive hearing system.
• A tour around the museum is signposted.
• Written information on the exhibits is available.
• There are some touch stations and films.

For visually impaired and blind persons

The outdoor premises and the museum building do not have a guide system for blind persons. We therefore recommend that visually impaired and blind persons are accompanied when visiting the museum. Assistance dogs are permitted in the museum. .

Upon request you can book a guided tour for a group of visually impaired or blind persons. During these tours there is an opportunity to touch as many exhibits as possible. The LVR-Industriemuseum Solingen has a suitcase with museum educational hands-on materials which were developed specifically for persons with visual impairments and which are used during the guided tours. The tour lasts approx. 90 minutes. The tour costs 50 € plus the reduced entrance fee of 4 € per person. The programme should be booked at least two weeks in advance if possible.

There is an audio-guide with spoken texts which can be loaned from the reception free of charge.

Further information:

• Outside there are no easily visible or tactile path boundaries.
• In the buildings there are no visual high-contrast or tactile floor indicators.
• Rooms, corridors and stairs are brightly illuminated dazzle-free.
• On the paths and in the rooms there are no obstacles, e.g. protruding objects or tripping points.
• There are no carrousel doors or revolving doors.
• The outside entrance door to the events room (full-glass door) has no safety markings
• Stairs have no visibly contrasting edges
• In the lift the operating elements are not visually contrasting or tactile (touch buttons). An outgoing emergency call is confirmed acoustically.
• A tour of the museum is signposted. The rooms are identified in coloured lettering.
• Exhibits contrast visually from the surroundings and are well illuminated.
• The exhibit labelling is in easily legible and contrasting lettering.
• Audio-guides are available in German, English and simple German. There are audio stations, touch stations and films.
• There is no information in Braille or prism script.

For persons with cognitive impairments

At the LVR-Industriemuseum Gesenkschmiede Hendrichs (Drop Forge) visitors can try out a lot for themselves and experience the machines in operation. All guided tours and programmes are adjusted to the needs of school classes and groups of persons with learning difficulties. They are carried out in simple comprehensible language. Some programmes are very activity-oriented and are particularly suitable for persons with learning difficulties. The tour lasts approx. 90 minutes. The guided tour costs 50 € plus the reduced entrance fee of 4 € per person.

The programmes should be booked at least two weeks prior to the planned date if possible. Please call (Tel.: 0212 - 23 241 0), so that we can discuss the special needs of your group. The museum also offers audio-guides in simple language. The loan of such guides is free of charge.

Further information:

• Name and logo are not clearly recognisable from outside.
• The ticket counter is immediately visible from the entrance.
• The rooms are identified with coloured lettering.
• The exhibits are presented visibly.
• There are some audio stations, touch stations and films.

Reisen für alle

(Tours for Everyone)

The LVR-Industriemuseum Gesenkschmiede Hendrichs (Drop Forge) has been certified in the qualification system "Reisen für alle" (Tours for Everyone). This is a co-operation project sponsored by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy) , the Deutsches Seminar für Tourismus (DSFT) Berlin e. V. and the Verein Tourismus für Alle Deutschland e.V. - NatKo.

Detailed inspection reports on the Gesenkschmiede Hendrichs (Drop Forge)

Further information on the project “Reisen für alle”

Information and booking

Persons who require assistance during their visit are requested to inform kulturinfo rheinland accordingly. Special guided tours should be booked at least one week in advance.

For information on all LVR-Industriemuseum sites and to book guided tours contact:

kulturinfo rheinland

Tel.: 02234/9921-555 (telephone lines open: Mon – Fri 8 – 18 hours; Sat, Sun and public holidays 10 – 15 hours)
Fax: 02234/9921-300
Email: info@kulturinfo-rheinland.de