Collection

The Ornamental Cast Iron Museum Büdelsforf’s collection now consists of two cast iron collections made separately: the former company collection from the Carlshütte and the cast iron collection from the Thaulow Museum. 

After the historic Thaulow inventory was brought to Gottorf in 1948, it was transferred to the Museum of Art and Cultural History Schloss Gottorf collection. Since the 1950s, numerous cast iron items have been added via purchases and donations. 

With a view to the building’s history and with reference to the Carlshütte’s historic company collection, the foundry’s products form a central area of the collection. Commonplace objects such as fireplaces and “Bilegger” panels, domestic devices such as pots, cans and irons, but also artistic cast items such as decorative items, furniture and table utensils can be found in this wide-ranging sub-collection.

The collection incorporates cast iron items from the late 15th up to the 21st century. Whilst it focuses on German-speaking countries, products from English, French and Russian foundries also belong to the collection. With a few cast iron items from the Far-East, a small Asian art collection is also included. In addition to the cast items, the museum also contains an extensive collection of cast models.

With its permanent exhibition, the Ornamental Cast Iron Museum can only present a small part of its collection, some 5000 items are currently stored in a warehouse.