Oldisleben Sugar Factory

In 1747 it was discovered in Prussia that domestic beets contained the same sugar as sugar cane. Breeding increased the sugar content until the industrial production of sugar from beet was developed around 1800. The first beet sugar factory was built in 1802 in Cunern (Konary, Poland). From 1835, the German Customs Union created favourable economic conditions for the cultivation of sugar beet and the beet sugar industry. By 1900, more than 600 beet sugar factories had been established in Germany, including the Oldisleben sugar factory in 1872.

The main factory building, built of shell limestone and red sandstone, has remained almost unchanged since 1872. Inside, visitors enter a time capsule with six exemplarily restored steam engines, historic apparatus and gears dating from 1880 to around 1925. In 1945, the factory's equipment was so old that the Soviet army found it unattractive to dismantle it. In the GDR era, there was a lack of capital for modernisation. Dedicated workers managed to keep the old equipment in working order. During the 1990 campaign, six steam engines were still in operation, driving pumps, compressors, the generator and transmission shafts.

The reality of GDR industry is documented in the canteen and infirmary. The Oldisleben Sugar Factory Cultural Heritage Foundation took over the technical monument from Südzucker AG in 2021 and now ensures that it is preserved and open to visitors.