Steffenshammer

The Steffenshammer is an iron hammer in Remscheid, still well preserved. It stands in the north of the town near Wuppertal, beside the Gelpe stream just before it meets the Morsbach. The hamlet here is called Clemenshammer. The site dates from 1746 and passed through several owners before the Steffens family took charge in 1825. In the 19th century it made refined steel for tools and small iron parts, using water and wood from the valley and iron ore from the region. A dam on the Gelpe held back water to drive a large overshot wheel that powered the hammer and a smaller wheel for the grinding stone and bellows. The hammer worked until 1928 and saw occasional use until 1958. Today it is the last working hammer in the Gelpetal. The private association that now runs it keeps the machinery in working order and opens the site for visits and events. Nearby parking marks the start of the Gelpetal industrial history trail, which uses display boards to show where small-iron works once stood. The trail and the hammer together recall the valley’s past as a centre of early industry.