“F.& W. Hendrichs – Scherenschlägerei u. Gesenkschmiede – Gegründet 1886” (Scissor Hammer and Drop Forge – established in 1886) – so reads the lettering on the distinctive corner facade of the LVR-Industriemuseum in Solingen. The former factory complex with buildings made of red bricks, the typical slanting shed roofs and the high chimneys have hardly changed at all.
The Gesenkschmiede Hendrichs (Drop Forge) forged blanks for scissors from 1886 to 1986. All the machines, the drop hammers, the presses, and milling machines as well as the workbenches for the toolmakers are still complete. Even the changing rooms with the old lockers, the washroom with the long rows of revolvable washbasins, the engine house and the office with the rattling typewriter, everything is still there. Even the villa of the entrepreneur’s family is still standing.
The historic drop forge is a very special museum because production still takes place here. The drive belts whir, the furnaces glow and the hammer beats. The museum’s scissors are forged in the factory. In the workshops, it is possible to follow how scissors are made.
The company villa dating from 1896 also gives visitors an insight into the middle-class living environment of the factory-owner’s family. It can be visited during the regular opening hours of the museum (please register at the museum ticket counter) and during guided tours. An audio-guide is available for the exhibition in the industrialist’s villa.
The museum restaurant with winter garden is located in the villa. The “Villa Zefyros” indulges you with modern Greek cuisine in an idyllic ambience. In the summer, the beautiful garden with its old tree population invites one to stay for a while.
More on Villa Hendrichs (Link Further information about Villa Hendrichs)
Tickets for the Gesenkschmiede Hendrichs (Drop Forge) can be purchased at the site or in advance from our Webshop.
The museum, together with various partners, has re-instated industrial heritage locations that are open to visitors, e.g. the historical grinder’s workshop Wipperkotten, the former steam grinding shop Loosen Maschinn, the pen knife assembly workshop Lauterjung and the historical wash house Weegerhof.
