Collection concept

The Chemnitz Museum of Industry holds over 20,000 exhibits – from postage stamps to steam engines. It is a relatively young collection by museum standards, which began from scratch with the founding of the museum in 1990. Particularly in the years after reunification, during the period of rapid deindustrialization in Saxony, the holdings grew explosively. The endeavor benefited from the East German economy, which provided a refuge for historical machinery from the 20th century, in some cases dating back to the late 19th century.

On August 28, 1991, the city council of Chemnitz decided to establish an industrial museum. Yet few know that the first ideas for such a museum go back as far as 1827. Until the museum’s founding, the people of Chemnitz repeatedly tried to realize their vision of a museum of trade and industry with fresh initiatives. In the 1980s, a Museum of Productive Forces almost came into being. This idea provided the foundation for the Chemnitz Museum of Industry Support Association, established in 1990, from which today’s museum emerged.

Today, the Chemnitz Museum of Industry is firmly anchored in the city’s cultural life. It is the reference site for Saxony’s industrial history and an important part of Saxon industrial culture. In reference to the Green Vault in Dresden, its depot is affectionately referred to internally as the Green Vault of Saxony’s industrial history. The heart of the museum, its collection, houses countless treasures of the industrial age, including nearly 500 machine tools and around 50 woodworking machines. This makes it one of the largest collections of its kind in Germany. Offers or inquiries regarding machines bearing the inscription “Chemnitz” reach the museum from both near and far – a clear echo of the city’s powerful export legacy (Chemnitz is also known as the “Saxon Manchester”).

The museum pioneers traveled by truck with a crane to closed-down companies, disbanded research institutes, dissolved authorities, abandoned private workshops, and even private basements. At times, former employees of state-owned enterprises (VEBs) rescued historical objects from scrap containers and brought them to the museum. For many, this act was not only a way of preserving history, but also one of self-respect, mourning, and sometimes even resistance – for example, when objects were saved in defiance of the Treuhand agency’s scrapping orders. In 1992, the caretaker of the former Robotron building in Chemnitz retrieved a six-by-three-meter handwoven wall tapestry from a container. The artwork, once part of a meeting room, had been buried under rubble and used as insulation material. He cleaned the tapestry and kept it in his attic, not knowing whether anyone would ever care for it. Twenty years later, during research for an exhibition, the museum rediscovered the lost piece.

In some cases, the museum was able to acquire entire “tradition cabinets” from former companies. The former director of VEB Numerik Karl-Marx-Stadt, a co-founder of the museum association, donated his sample collection of machine controls, the photo archive, flags, a Karl Marx sculpture, and more. These years of emergency salvage operations left behind an incredible wealth of objects: more than 1,000 office machines, over 500 machine tools, around 50 woodworking machines, over 600 textile machines, and four steam engines are part of the collection. In contrast, motor technology and vehicles are represented only selectively, as other regional museums were more active in those areas. In the museum’s early years, engineers set the tone, making the collection highly technology-focused. Later, the curators managed to balance this emphasis with carefully chosen additions. Today, over half of the collection consists of economic and social history artifacts – such as shares, letterheads, flags, posters, paintings, graphics, illuminated advertising, and photography. More recently, industrial design has come into focus, such as the estate of glass and ceramics designer Margarete Jahny. Over time, the museum has developed an informal division of labor with other collections in technical history.

The majority of the objects date from the 20th century, which is understandable given the high output of Saxon industry during that period and the greater likelihood of physical survival. Only comparatively few items from after 1990 have entered the collection so far, since most remain in economic circulation – for now. The 18th century is barely represented, as the Industrial Revolution in Saxony had not yet begun. A handloom from 1770 and a journeyman’s certificate from 1797 are rare examples. The early 19th century, unlike the later Gründerzeit, is also weakly represented. Nonetheless, the “Mona Lisa” of the collection, a spinning mule built around 1830 in Alsace, stands out. It was used near Chemnitz for many years and, following restoration, continues to operate in demonstrations to this day. Only one comparable example exists, in the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

Thanks to volunteer senior experts and, in the first 20 years, many employment programs, more than two-thirds of the large technical objects have been restored, often made functional for exhibitions. The time investment would have been unaffordable for the museum otherwise. For example, restoring a wind turbine from the 1920s and a large tower crane from the 1950s required 50,000 working hours just for conserving the surfaces. Moreover, senior experts contribute their highly specialized knowledge to the documentation of technical artifacts.

For the past 15 years, much of the collection has been safely housed in a purpose-built depot right next to the exhibition halls. The steel-framed building, measuring 55 by 49 meters and nine meters high, holds more than 2,000 tons of materialized history! Around 3,100 square meters of storage space are optimized with a high rack system for 750 Euro pallets. Over 800 square meters of logistics areas with an eight-ton overhead crane and workshops ensure excellent working conditions.

The collection has long provided a rich resource of exhibits. Primarily, the museum itself benefits, with its permanent exhibition and special exhibitions, such as the MaschinenBOOM. exhibition during the 4th Saxon State Exhibition. The Chemnitz Museum of Industry also engages in active loans with various partners, including other museums, private companies, and institutes. Occasionally, scholars use artifacts for research and teaching, treating them as a “gene bank” of industrial history. The Chemnitz Museum of Industry views the industrial age as far from complete.

As part of the Saxon Museum of Industry Association, the Chemnitz Museum of Industry has become a key element of the city’s identity. With its distinctive façade, it remains one of the landmarks of the City of Modernity.

"A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, preserves, researches, communicates, and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for purposes of education, study, and enjoyment."
— Definition of "museum" in the ICOM Statutes (2007)

The basis for the Collection Strategy 2022–2027 includes the ICOM Code of Ethics (2004/2010), the Standards for Museums of the German Museums Association (2009), the Guidelines for Civic Engagement in Museums (2008), the Guidelines for Professional Museum Work (2019), the Guidelines for Sustainable Collecting. A Guide to the Acquisition and Deaccessioning of Museum Objects (2011), the SPECTRUM documentation standard in its German translation (2013), as well as the Guidelines for the Documentation of Museum Objects (2011), the mission statement of the Chemnitz Museum of Industry, and the museum’s 2011 collection concept. The Riga Charter (2002) and the Venice Charter (1964) also serve as a foundation. Crucial to the historically developed collection is the publication issued by the Chemnitz Museum of Industry on the occasion of its 25th anniversary (2017), which describes in detail the history of the collection and exhibitions. In accordance with international standards, the collection strategy must be updated at least every five years.

In the Standards for Museums of the German Museums Association, collecting is defined as a core museum task:
"The collections form the backbone of every museum. The collecting activity of museums reveals purposeful action. Collecting is a continuous task carried out to secure the future of the holdings. A museum’s collection consists primarily of original objects that remain permanently in the ownership of the museum or its governing body. Every museum has its own collection strategy, based on a written collection concept. The collection strategy of a museum primarily ensures the responsible handling of objects and takes into account the need for documentation, preservation, conservation, and, where appropriate, restoration and exhibition of each individual item." (Standards for Museums, 2009)

The Chemnitz Museum of Industry possesses a unique collection of diverse exhibits in both regional and international comparison, for example, an outstanding body of machine tools, historical letterheads, and much more. We are fully aware of our responsibility for the inherited social heritage and, on this basis, introduced the guiding principle of the "Green Vault of Saxon Industrial Culture." Nobody can foresee the future, yet we are collecting today’s present for tomorrow. Collecting implies an unspoken contract between generations. But it is not only future generations that should benefit from what we collect and preserve today. We also seek to provide today’s visitors with a wide range of exhibits and knowledge, equipping them with the ability to independently recognize technical challenges in the broadest sense, contribute actively to their solutions, or develop alternative, non-linear ideas of progress.

The pressing issues of our time – such as the energy transition, mobility transition, upcoming transformation processes, digitalization, security, production, innovations, and more – require a fundamental understanding of technical and socio-political processes in order to participate critically and imaginatively in shaping models of the future. We want our visitors to engage critically with and question the history of technology, culture, and society using our tangible and intangible artifacts. In line with the motto of the Enlightenment: “Have the courage to use your own understanding.” In doing so, we make a crucial democratic, cultural, and educational contribution to society.

The museological value of an object is one of the most important criteria when selecting new acquisitions. The central questions are:

• Is the object worthy of being collected?
• And is the object capable of being collected?

The museological value is determined by various criteria, such as historical significance, uniqueness, exhibition potential, technical-historical importance, and preservation requirements. A decisive factor here is the Saxony connection: traditionally, the Chemnitz Museum of Industry collects machines and products that were designed or manufactured in Saxony. However, the historically shifting borders of today’s federal state must be considered. This strict selection criterion must also be questioned. Whether an offered object is worthy of collection depends on the focal points of the collection combined with the thematic areas, taking into account spatial and chronological parameters. Whether an offered object is capable of being collected depends on the preservation capacities and possibilities of the museum, as well as the available storage facilities.

"Volunteers are an important source of time, talent, and energy. They help a nonprofit organization fulfill its mission. They complement the work of full-time staff, expand their capacities, and bring in new perspectives and energy."
- German Museums Association, Civic Engagement in Museums (2021)

Paragraph 2, Section 2 of the statutes of the Chemnitz Museum of Industry Support Association states:
"The purpose of the association is to promote the collection, preservation, research, and communication of the industrial-historical and industrial-cultural heritage in the metropolitan area around the Saxon industrial city of Chemnitz."

The objectives of the Support Association are:

1. Supporting the Chemnitz Museum of Industry in collecting and preserving historically important objects and testimonies of Saxony’s industrial development.
2. Contributing to the research of technically and industrially significant objects of Saxony’s technological, economic, and social history.
3. Advising the Chemnitz Museum of Industry on technical matters.
4. Assisting in the search for new exhibits and their documentation for the collection of the Chemnitz Museum of Industry.
5. Helping with the restoration of exhibits.
6. Preparing documentation on Saxony’s industrial history and culture for use by the Chemnitz Museum of Industry.
7. Producing publications and organizing lectures on Saxony’s industrial, technical, and social development.

The Chemnitz Museum of Industry exists thanks to the Support Association, which founded the museum in 1990. Today, the Support Association is an important partner of the museum. Thanks to the knowledge and connections of the association, certain tasks can be initiated and carried out in the first place. The senior experts (volunteers) of the association complement the expertise of the museum’s staff and preserve their own professional knowledge from their working lives. This enables the museum to better fulfill its public mission. A museum collects, preserves, researches, communicates, and presents exhibits to the public. This knowledge actively supports the museum’s work.

The museum value of the collection is reflected, among other things, in its scientific documentation. A fundamental prerequisite for this is the inventorying and documentation of each collection object as part of the collection. The basis for this is the English documentation standard SPECTRUM in the German translation (2013) as well as the Guidelines for the Documentation of Museum Objects by the German Museums Association (2011). Standardized inventorying at the Chemnitz Museum of Industry is carried out on two levels. First, all collection objects are recorded by hand in the inventory book. The type and designation of each collection item, the date of acquisition, and an inventory number are entered manually. Only the permanently employed scientific documentalist is authorized to make entries and maintain the inventory books; all other persons or staff require written permission from the museum management and the head of collections. The inventory books must be treated with care and stored centrally and securely in steel cabinets, the locations of which must be communicated to emergency services for prioritized recovery in case of disaster. The fire department is provided with keys to these steel cabinets. Until now, the medium for documenting additional information (research status) about each collection object has been the master file. These files are stored decentrally, organized by subject groups. In the future, the master file will be replaced by the museum management software Bee Collect. All facts will be compiled per object and linked with object images and, if applicable, video recordings. Object descriptions will be carried out as far as possible using standardized vocabularies/thesauri and field designations. A writing guideline stored in the museum management system regulates how entries are made in each field. A complex rights management system allows staff in various museum departments to work on the database in a controlled manner. The right to delete entries is reserved for the permanently employed scientific documentalist and the permanently employed librarian. Deletions may only be performed in the presence of the head of collections, thereby implementing a four-eyes principle. All other staff do not have this right and require written permission from the museum management and the head of collections.

As a scientific specialist library for Saxon economic and industrial history, the library is open to public institutions, associations, companies, as well as private individuals such as learners and students. The specialist library is managed by a librarian. It provides literature and other media for museum staff to use in:

• the scientific study of museum holdings,
• preparation of new special exhibitions,
• academic research,
• support for restoration work,
• museum educational programs, and
• assistance with general museum tasks such as administration and occupational safety.

The library participates in national and international lending networks. Its total holdings comprise approximately 30,000 media units, including books, journals, company brochures, electronic resources, and an extensive collection of articles related to the collection’s focus areas. Numerous valuable historical holdings enrich the library’s offerings, including sources on economic history, technical history literature, and regional publications.

Due to its valuable historical holdings and the high proportion of grey literature, the scientific specialist library of the Chemnitz Museum of Industry functions as a reference library. Materials may be consulted at the library’s reading stations but cannot be borrowed. Where the condition of the books allows, library staff can produce copies. Use of the library requires prior arrangement.

A complex rights management system enables staff from various museum departments to work with the database in a controlled manner. The right to delete entries is reserved for the permanently employed librarian and may only be exercised in the presence of the head of collections, implementing a four-eyes principle. All other staff do not have this right and require written permission from the museum management and the head of collections.

Restoration and Conservation Objectives of the Chemnitz Industrial Museum

All departments of the museum are committed to preserving the collection. The Conservation/Restoration department creates and optimizes appropriate conditions for the maintenance and care of entrusted art and cultural assets. It works closely with other museum departments to ensure the safety and integrity of the objects. The tasks of the restorers go far beyond traditional workshop work and include, among others:

• Conservation and restoration of objects
• Climate monitoring and maintenance of optimal environmental conditions
• Depot and storage optimization
• Pest monitoring
• Preparation and follow-up of loan processes as well as object handover and acceptance
• Object-appropriate presentation in exhibitions
• Documentation in the museum management system
• Supervision and guidance of senior experts and external assistants

For particularly complex issues, external specialists are consulted when necessary. Following the recommendations of the ICOM Code of Ethics (2004/2010, § 2.8), objects are assigned specific conditions that regulate how they are handled and allow for the demonstration of their functions:

• Material Preservation – Focus on preserving the material itself
• Outdoor Exhibit – Objects treated appropriately for exposure and safety
• Functional Preservation – Objects are kept operational whenever possible
• Hands-On – Targeted interaction and use by visitors without causing irreversible damage

The status of each object is documented historically and may change over time. The different conditions also define who is allowed to handle each object. Signs of use or gradual changes due to handling may remain visible, as they form part of the object’s history. These regulations apply to all objects, with careful consideration of the museum’s core tasks – collecting, preserving, researching, exhibiting, and interpreting – always aiming to enhance understanding of technical culture.

The conservation objective of material preservation aims to maintain the exhibit in a defined condition. The primary focus is on the authentic retention of the historical substance, including all age-related changes and damages. Before any interventions are carried out on an exhibit, all object-relevant data regarding its origin and history are collected. This information is of great importance in the process of conservation decision-making, as it helps to better understand a historical object, its external appearance, and its technical function.

Thus, the conservation objective of material preservation forms the basis of the preservation aspect of the collection policy at the Industriemuseum Chemnitz. This objective is achieved by the museum’s full-time conservators and restorers, and if necessary, they may be supported by external restorers. Selected tasks can be carried out by the Förderverein in consultation with and under the supervision of the conservators. To achieve this conservation objective, at least one exhibit must be present in the collection in good to very good condition.

The conservation objective of an outdoor exhibit focuses on the museum presentation of objects in an outdoor setting. The main emphasis is on preserving the historical substance according to the “Big Stuff” approach. Before any measures are taken on an object, all relevant data regarding its origin and history are collected. This information is of great importance for the restoration decision-making process, as it helps to better understand a historical object, its appearance, and its technical function. Thus, the outdoor exhibit conservation objective represents a specific exception within the collection policy of the Industriemuseum Chemnitz. A dedicated care and presentation concept is developed for this purpose. This conservation objective is achieved by the museum’s full-time conservators and restorers, as well as by the full-time technical staff, and may be supported by external restorers or assistants if necessary. Selected tasks may be carried out by the Förderverein in consultation with and under supervision of the conservators. To fulfill this conservation objective, at least one comparable object with the conservation objective of material preservation must exist in the collection, or preservation in a climate-controlled depot must not be feasible or necessary. This conservation objective must be justified transparently and comprehensibly, including an assessment of its consequences.

Conservation Objective of functional maintenance aims at ensuring museum demonstrability by trained staff (demonstrators) and thus represents a special provision in the collection policy of the Chemnitz Museum of Industry, in accordance with the working collections clause of the ICOM Code of Ethics (2004/2010, § 2.8). The focus here is on the preservation of a non-material aspect: the experience. In its collection policy, the Chemnitz Museum of Industry therefore takes into account the special provision for conserving functionality, with the goal of preserving significant developments in engineering science, traditional skills, and social aspects—particularly cultural, scientific, or technical processes—in operational condition, while accepting, to a certain extent, material loss in order to maintain functionality. This conservation objective is achieved by the museum’s full-time conservators and full-time demonstrators, and, if necessary, supported by external conservators or assistants. Selected activities can be carried out by the Friends’ Association under the supervision of the conservators and demonstrators, upon agreement. To achieve this conservation objective, a justification and impact assessment must be developed transparently and comprehensibly and documented in the Museum Management System. Additionally, a stock of spare parts must be considered, taking storage capacity into account.

Conservation Objective Hands-On aims at the museum-based self-experience of visitors and thus represents a special provision in the collection policy of the Chemnitz Museum of Industry, in accordance with the working collections clause of the ICOM Code of Ethics (2004/2010, § 2.8). The focus here is on the preservation of a non-material aspect: the experience. In its collection policy, the Chemnitz Museum of Industry therefore takes into account the special provision for conveying functionality, with the goal of preserving cultural, scientific, or technical processes in operational condition and through visitor self-experience, while accepting, to a certain extent, material loss in order to maintain functionality. This conservation objective is achieved by the museum’s full-time conservators and demonstrators, as well as some part-time staff, and, if necessary, supported by external conservators or assistants. Selected activities can be carried out by the Friends’ Association under the supervision of the conservators and demonstrators, upon agreement. To achieve this conservation objective, at least one comparable exhibit with the Conservation Objective of Material Preservation must be present in the collection, and a justification and impact assessment must be developed transparently and comprehensibly and documented in the Museum Management System. Additionally, a stock of spare parts must be considered, taking storage capacity into account.