Deutsches Drahtmuseum, Altena

The German Wire Museum in Altena, the only one of its kind in the world, was founded in 1965 by the Altena district on the initiative of industrialist Paul Rump. It was initially housed on 110 m2 of exhibition space in the Kommandantenhaus of Altena Castle. Relocated in 1994 to the building of the former Altena Lyceum, it was redesigned in 1999 with the help of many sponsors into a modern museum that meets the ideas about museum work in the 21st century and was reopened after a five-month closure on April 26, 1999.

In the permanent exhibition "From chain mail to superconductors" at Fritz-Thomée-Strasse 12, a wide range of information about wire as a product and its importance in industry and everyday life is presented on an exhibition area that now covers 630 m2. The main topics are, for example, the various techniques for wire production throughout history and the many possible uses in technology, the jewelry industry and art design. Furthermore, temporary exhibitions on the subject of wire are held at irregular intervals in a 120 m2 special exhibition room in the museum.

The sponsor of the adventure museum is the Märkische Kreis as the legal successor of the Altena district. The admission ticket to the wire museum is also valid for the nearby Altena Castle and the museums located there.