Feuerwehrmuseum Hannover

Description

Within the urban context of Hannover, the Feuerwehrmuseum in Hannover is dedicated to the history of fire protection with a particular focus on the Hannover fire brigade.

Until 2021 the exhibition was housed in the heritage-listed former Katholischen Bürgerschule Am Kanonenwall 19 in the Calenberger Neustadt district; access was via the nearby Wache 10 at Feuerwehrstraße 1. The school, a three-storey brick-clad building with Neo-Gothic features dating from 1884, is one of the few surviving inner-city school buildings from the period after 1862.

The Berufsfeuerwehr Hannover was founded on 1 January 1880; in 1892 it became independent as the Branddirektion, and in the same year the Hauptfeuerwache began operations on the newly laid-out Feuerwehrstraße. On the occasion of the Berufsfeuerwehr’s 100th anniversary in 1980, a group of fire service personnel formed to assemble a collection. The exhibits mainly came from private holdings and were cared for on a voluntary basis until 2021.

On an exhibition area of around 250 square metres the museum presented approximately 1,500 objects. The items on display included historical uniforms and equipment as well as documentary material that provided insights into everyday life, especially that of the Berufsfeuerwehr Hannover. The permanent exhibition was complemented by rotating special presentations; one example in 2014 was an event as part of the Night of the Museums featuring historic films and scale models.

After the move of the fire brigade to the new Feuer- und Rettungswache 1 at Weidendamm, the collection is currently not publicly accessible, and the museum therefore remains closed.