Industrie- und Filmmuseum Wolfen

Description

The Industry and Film Museum Wolfen

A visit to the cradle of the world´s first modern color film "You forgot the color film," sang Nina Hagen reproachfully to her Michael in 1974. Today it could be said: "You can forget the color film." When mass production of the AgfacolorNeu film began in 1936 in what was once the second-largest film factory in the world, it was a global sensation. With this film, anyone who wanted could finally photograph in color. Today, however, digital storage has almost entirely displaced color film.

The building where Agfa industrially implemented its development in 1936 has been home to the Industry and Film Museum Wolfen (IFM) since 1993. Visitors can follow all stages of technical film production here. The study opportunities are not limited to tools and machines isolated behind glass showcases. The large facilities with which photo and film materials were once produced still stand and almost seem as if they were just turned off. For example, you can experience the coating machine on which the AgfacolorNeu film was first manufactured up close at the IFM. The special production conditions under which the raw film material was manufactured, and in some cases still is, invite you to marvel. And many visitors have an epiphany: everyone knows that film material is light-sensitive. However, very few consider that the film material must therefore also be produced in the dark. Windowless corridors, light locks, and heavy steel doors form a barricade against daylight.

A Journey Through Time From 1800 to 2004 - Industrial History of the Bitterfeld-Wolfen Region

Since the beginning of 2006, the Industry and Film Museum Wolfen has invited visitors on a journey through the industrial history of the Bitterfeld-Wolfen region from 1800 to 2004. Visitors learn how a region once dominated by agriculture transformed into the largest industrial area in central Germany. Integrated into the political and economic development of Germany and the world, the permanent exhibition informs about the settlements of AEG, Griesheim Elektron, Agfa, and other smaller companies. Over the years, the product range became diverse: gemstones, fertilizers, bricks, PVC, artificial silk, dye bases, color films, light metals, PeCe, hydrogen, Wolpryla… However, the exhibition also shows the downside of these industrial settlements: the increasing production led to a burden on people and the environment through odors, soot, dust, and wastewater.

Other themes of the permanent exhibition include the significant stages of industrial development during the First and Second World Wars, reconstruction from 1945, the coal, energy and chemical program, the Bitterfeld Way, the combination formation, and the housing construction program. The tension is interesting: Bitterfeld was referred to as the "dirty backyard of Berlin" - at the same time, the region was characterized by the emergence of new natural landscapes such as the Muldestausee. The dramatic decline in production due to closures starting in 1990 brings a series of problems and tasks: high unemployment, the construction of a modern industrial park, and the transformation into a center for local recreation.

Cameras, Projectors, Cameras - The Museum´s Treasure Chamber

The "treasure chamber" of the museum houses a collection of over 800 cameras, film and slide projectors, mainly from German production. It is the largest publicly accessible collection in Saxony-Anhalt. It has originated from collections of the Wolfen Film Factory and the Bitterfeld District Museum. Many private individuals and institutions donate historical devices to the museum. For example, the dissolved photography school in Munich handed over an extensive collection to the museum in 2005.

Special Exhibitions, Events, and Library - Additional Offers of the IFM Wolfen

The IFM aims to offer visitors a varied program of exhibitions and events. Thus, four to six special exhibitions and various event series take place per year. The film screenings of the series "Films Rediscovered" are almost always sold out. Together with the IFM e.V. support association, the IFM shows four once-banned or forgotten films a year. A special highlight is the subsequent discussion with the respective film´s director or well-known actors. For instance, Gojko Mitic, Volker Koepp, Karl Gass, Kurt Maetzig, and Michael Verhoeven have already been welcomed as discussion guests.

The IFM e.V. support association offers interesting lectures on the history of the film factory as well as slide lectures. Informative is also the series of writings published by the association on the history of the Wolfen Film Factory. The IFM´s event room is also very popular with companies, institutions, and associations for conferences and festive events.

The historical company archive of the Wolfen Film Factory and the presence library available at the IFM are intensively used by students, historians, and interested parties. The archive consists of 2.1 kilometers of records, including research and business reports, as well as technical documents. There are also collections such as 18,000 photos and labels. Several diploma theses and dissertations have already resulted from the material.

Photographing With a Shoe Box - Offers For Children and Adolescents

Most students wouldn´t have thought you could even take photos with a shoe box. The offering is popular among students of secondary education. In the onsite lab, children can develop their photos and experience firsthand during darkroom work under what light conditions the film factory operated.

Get informed about the film production in the world´s once second-largest film factory!