Deutsches Peitschenmuseum

The German Whip Museum stands in Killer, a hamlet of Burladingen in the Zollernalbkreis of Baden-Württemberg. It occupies the former railway station building on the Hechingen–Gammertingen line, a quiet spot beside the valley road. The village once relied on whip-making after farming proved impossible in the narrow valley. Whip-making became Killer’s main trade in the 19th century. Apprentices served three years to learn the craft, and by the early 20th century the village produced five thousand whips each day. Half of all whips used in Germany then came from Killer. After the Second World War markets vanished and the last factory closed in the 1970s. In 1996 the Guinness Book of Records recognised the museum as Germany’s only whip museum. Visitors find a working workshop with every machine once used to shape handles and braid thongs. Rows of finished whips hang on the walls, and temporary exhibitions add variety. The shop sells small whips and souvenirs, while the café offers light meals. Private tours can be arranged after the arson damage of 2020, though regular opening has not resumed.