Stadt- und Dampfmaschinenmuseum Werdau

The Stadt- und Dampfmaschinenmuseum Werdau stands in the small town of Werdau in the Zwickau district. It occupies two sites: the Baumgartsche Haus, an 18th-century townhouse, and a neighbouring hall that once housed industrial machinery. The museum shows how Werdau grew from a 14th-century settlement into an industrial centre. The collection is notable for its Fraureuth porcelain, one of the largest in Germany, and for a working 600-horsepower steam engine kept in the original engine house. A scale model of Werdau in 1628 shows the town hall, castle and St Mary’s church. Visitors can also ride a miniature railway in the garden from May to October. The Baumgartsche Haus itself recalls a dramatic week in July 1809 when Jérôme Bonaparte, Napoleon’s youngest brother, arrived with about 4,000 soldiers and staff. The town had to pay for his stay and planned entertainments, nearly bankrupting itself. The house still holds furniture and fittings from that brief but costly visit.