German Museum of Chair Production

Already in pre-industrial times chairs were made in Rabenau; but the industrialization of production was hesitant. It was not until 1870 that the chair merchant Ferdinand Reuter build a large factory complex on the site of the castle ruins, producing chairs of curved beech wood following the example of the Viennese company Thonet. At times, more than 1,000 people worked in the factory, nicknamed “the big hut”. In 1918 Rabenau had 18 factories, 38 workshops for chairmakers, 14 for wood sculptors, 6 for woodturners and 6 for stainers and polishers. A precursor of today's chair museum was established in 1931, and in 1978 the museum already moved to the farm buildings of the castle. Since 2005, a major attraction has been the almost complete workshop of the chair-maker Kurt Aehlig, its equipment largely dating back to the early 20th century. The museum also displays chairs of different styles from the Baroque to “Rabenau Thonet chairs”, as well as tools and equipment from the chairmaking trade.

German Museum of Chair Production
Lindenstraße 2
01734 Rabenau
Germany
+49 (0) 351 - 6413611
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