"Alte Burg" Local History Museum

“Stadt der Nähmaschinen” – The Sewing Machine Town: Wittenberge has carried this nickname with pride for many years. The era began with the laying of the foundation stone of the Singer factory in 1903. There followed a heyday for the small industrial town lying between Berlin and Hamburg. The largest free-standing clock tower on the European mainland, built in 1929, is testament to the town’s burgeoning success. Over seven million sewing machines have been built in Wittenberge in almost 90 years. The end of this traditional industry in the town came with German reunification in the early 1990s. The “Alte Burg” local history museum keeps these memories alive with an impressive sewing machine collection and a permanent exhibition.

If you are looking for an “Old Castle”, you are unlikely to find the local history museum. The "Alte Burg” is a simple manor house dating back to the 17th century on the outskirts of the Old Town. The local history museum, housed in the manor house, tells the story of the growth of Wittenberg from a small agricultural town to become an industrial hub. The attractively arranged permanent exhibition entitled "A GDR nationally owned enterprise was more than a production company” focuses specifically on the period from 1945 and 1991. The exhibition does more than just explain the business and technology: it also showcases the social and cultural life of the employees and their families. The daily life of the workers was closely connected with the facilities offered by the factory, including its nursery school, vocational college, sports and leisure groups.

The historic sewing machines on display are a real draw for enthusiasts. With the support of donors, the museum was able to acquire a significant private collection of Singer sewing machines in 2012. They are beautiful testaments to this era, which the Niggemann family had collected over decades. The elegant design and elaborate floral decoration on the early machines, in particular, such as the "No. 12 New Family" (1865), the "Medium 13K" (1889) or the "Singer 24" (1910), make them works of art and functional objects alike. Individual objects from the collection are displayed in the permanent exhibition of the local history museum and in the clock tower.

Tips: 

Guided tours of the site of the former sewing machine factory and around the clock tower with its sewing machine collection are held from the beginning of May to the end of September.

Small souvenirs are sewn in the museum’s demonstration workshop, which are then sold in the museum shop. On request, a textile product can also be sewn to your specific design.

Film screenings on the history of the town and the sewing machine factory can also be arranged for specific private occasions, whether school trip or birthday celebration.

For cyclists:

• The "Alte Burg local history museum” lies on the following cycle paths: "International Elbe Cycle Path", "Tour Brandenburg", "Elbe-Müritz Circular Trail" and "Historic Town Centres Cycle Path 3"
• A travel guide for bicycle tours in the tracks of region history – contains everything you need for a successful day out: Discovery Tour