Halloren Schokoladenmuseum

Description

In Halle (Saale), the Halloren Schokoladenmuseum documents the history of chocolate and at the same time tells the story of the Halloren chocolate factory. Visitors gain insight into the production, which is located in the same factory complex; the manufacturing process can be observed directly through a panoramic viewing window.

The museum was founded in 2002; since then the exhibition has been gradually expanded. Additions include a cinema area and the Chocolate Room, which was shown for the first time in 2004. The exhibition space grew to 750 m² in 2007 and today totals 900 m². In September 2012 a large-format chocolate relief was added to the presentation.

The roughly 17 m² Chocolate Room is regarded as a complex work of chocolate art and is unique in Germany. After revisions in 2007 it received a complete redesign in 2017. The implementation was carried out with support from external and in-house chocolate artists; the finished installation consists of around 1.5 tonnes of chocolate and required about 5,000 hours of work. Thematically the depiction shifts from the founding year 1804 to the years 1896–1900, shortly after the factory in Delitzscher Straße began operations. The workroom of Ernst David is shown; a central element is a life-size chocolate sculpture at the desk. For the figure, desk and chair alone almost 400 kg of chocolate were used. Revised and new objects such as a harpsichord, bookcase, cat on the cushion, dining table, sofa, lit fireplace and rug complete the ensemble.

Another exhibit is a city relief that depicts areas of Halle city centre in the year 1952. This date is connected with the origin of the Halloren-Kugeln. The relief was presented in September 2012; its production took place during the summer break of the same year. The base plate is made of milk chocolate, measures about three square metres, shows more than 200 individual parts as floor plans and weighs around 500 kilograms.

Other highlights include the world's largest Hallorenkugel and a detailed chocolate replica of the Alten Rathauses von Halle (Saale) from 2010. For this scale-accurate replica at a ratio of 1:18, about 2,000 hours of work and around one tonne of chocolate were used; the model's display case is kept constantly at 18 °C. The historical original of the Alten Rathauses, planned in 1558 and completed in 1568, was damaged in 1945 and demolished five years later.