Historisches Zentrum der Stadt Remscheid

Description

In the urban fabric of Remscheid, the Historisches Zentrum der Stadt Remscheid (HIZ) plays a central role as a custodian of memory and research. It comprises the three departments Deutsches Werkzeugmuseum, Stadtmuseum „Haus Cleff“ and the Stadtarchiv, bringing collections, exhibitions and archival care together under one administration.

Geographically, the centre is focused on the ensemble along Hastenstraße and Cleffstraße. The municipal consolidation began with the establishment of the Stadtarchiv in 1925; even then archive, library and the soon-to-be-founded local history museum formed a functional unit. In 1927 the city purchased the property at Cleffstraße 2–6; in the same year the local history museum moved into Haus Cleff, and in 1928 a department for the history of tools was set up in the former Kontorhaus.

Haus Cleff dates from 1778 and was built as a representative double townhouse for the merchant brothers Hilger. Architecturally it combines Rococo elements with the region’s characteristic black-white-green appearance; decorative coats of arms above the entrance doors point to the international trade relations of the period. The later owners, the Cleff brothers, expanded the property in the 19th century with a Kontorhaus, a factory with a steam engine and a shed building. After the city acquired the site in 1927, the local history museum, the predecessor department of the tool museum and parts of the Stadtarchiv were housed there. Until its closure in 2013 the city used the building as a museum and administrative location; the closure was due to pest infestation and dilapidated timber-framed sections. After extensive renovation Haus Cleff reopened in 2025; a special exhibition by the artist Wolfgang Tillmans attracted internationally notable visitor numbers. In the long term, Haus Cleff is intended to be established as a permanent exhibition on the economy and commerce of the tool-making city Remscheid and to be used permanently as a museum.

The collection history of the Deutsches Werkzeugmuseum begins in 1928 with a small display of historical tools in the Kontorhaus. With the opening of the Thieneshalle in 1967 the museum gained independence; in 1970 it received the name “Deutsches Werkzeugmuseum”. In 1995 the city combined the museums and the archive into the Historisches Zentrum and replaced the Thieneshalle with a generous new building that connected the Kontorhaus and the Shedhalle and significantly increased the exhibition space. The new building also incorporated a multipurpose room and a historic steam engine. Further renovation and modernization measures, particularly for the Kontorhaus and Haus Berger, are planned in the 2026 development plan; the upgrading of the exhibition areas and the modernization of the permanent exhibition form part of the subsequent steps.

Since 2007 the Stadtarchiv has constituted the third department of the Historisches Zentrum and is located at Hastener Straße 100–102. It is organizationally part of Fachdienst 1.48 of the municipal administration and complements Haus Cleff and the Deutsches Werkzeugmuseum as an essential component of the city’s memory infrastructure.