Motorradmuseum Heiner Beckmann

The Motorradmuseum Heiner Beckmann stands in Greffen, a village in Harsewinkel, North Rhine-Westphalia. It occupies a 19th-century timber-framed farm with several outbuildings spread over about 1,000 square metres. The founder, Heiner Beckmann, opened the museum in 1990 and filled it with roughly 180 motorcycles dating from 1898 to the 1990s. A separate building shows East German two- and four-wheelers from the former GDR. Outside, visitors find tractors and other four-wheeled machines arranged around the yard. The collection focuses on German marques such as BMW, DKW, Horex and NSU. Among the rarities are a 1903 Gritzner, a Hulla, a Raymo and a Velocette with a boxer engine. The museum also hosts a doll exhibition in a dedicated room. Outside the main buildings, tractors and vintage cars stand on display. Every year the museum organises the Spökenkieker-Fahrt, a rally for pre-1915 vehicles that mirrors the London to Brighton run. Inside, rows of motorcycles line the walls and fill central aisles. Labels explain each machine’s history and technical details. The timber beams and brick floors of the old farm remain visible, adding to the atmosphere. Visitors can walk from room to room without crowding, taking in the scent of oil and metal. The yard outside offers space to stand back and photograph the tractors and cars.