Luisenhütte

A tour that engages all the senses
The tour follows the path of the raw materials through the facility. From the clerk’s hut, the path leads to the Möllerboden. Here, visitors lift wheelbarrows loaded with iron ore, charcoal, and limestone themselves. Heat radiators generate warmth above the blast furnace’s taphole. A historical sound film shows how the furnace attendants loaded the furnace from above. Ten meters below, at the open furnace face, the tapping of the pig iron is dramatically simulated with a light show, additional radiant heaters, and excerpts from the sound film: The molten iron flows into the ladle bed. Right next to the blast furnace in the tapping hall, there were even break rooms for the steelworkers. In the blower house, the waterwheel with the piston blowers and the blower steam engine can be noisily put into operation. Additional lighting installations in the iron foundry create the impression of smelting furnaces in operation and a recent casting of gears and other castings.

A Visit to the Furnace Tender
Finally, visitors can reflect on their experience in the former furnace tender’s apartment. Here, visitors can watch the film “Feuerstrom des Eisens” (The Fire Stream of Iron) and explore an interactive computer simulation that displays all production steps in three dimensions. Four models compare the most important smelting techniques since the Middle Ages. Finally, a small ancestral gallery briefly recounts the fascinating history of the Landsberg-Velen family of counts who operated the smelter.

Museum Education
In addition to group tours, there are special educational programs for children. The programs “From Iron Ore to Waffle Iron” and the workshop “Fire and Tin” are suitable for school groups and children’s birthday parties. There is a geocaching multicache around the Luisenhütte. Those interested can rent GPS devices at the Hüttenschänke and embark on the digital scavenger hunt with the help of a flyer.

Duration of Visit and Combo Ticket
You should allow about one to one and a half hours for a visit to the Luisenhütte Wocklum. The Museum of Prehistory and Early History of the City of Balve is also located on the grounds, in the former drop hammer building of the Luisenhütte. It is currently undergoing renovation and is therefore closed.

Combined guided tours of the Luisenhütte and Schloss Wocklum. For more information and inquiries, click here: Guided tours of the Luisenhütte and

Wocklum Castle A general overview of events (blacksmithing courses, vacation activities) is available here: Events at and around the

Luisenhütte The Luisenhütte is a key stop on the Valley Route of the European Route of Industrial Heritage and an attraction of WasserEisenLand.

The Luisenhütte is closed from November 1 through April 30. It will reopen on May 1, 2025.