The Hanerau-Hademarschen Local History Museum
Welcome to our museum
which is housed in our old village school from 1884 and on the first floor of a newer annex. Why a “local history” museum in our time, which is characterized more by mobility and flexibility? Besides all the wanderlust - especially among the younger generation - there is also the longing for a “home”, for the “old and familiar”. The museum was founded in 1984 by locals and refugees and displaced persons who had to find a “new home” due to the horrors of World War II. Our museum aims to make our town "familiar" to both long-time residents and newcomers by preserving and bringing to life its history and stories.
Gravestones from Hanerau-Hademarschen
Gravestones of the Johannes Storm family
> Audio: Moors Through the Ages
> Audio: The Kiel Canal (NOK)
The IdeaFor many centuries, people had considered a connection between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to avoid the dangerous route through the Jammer Bay and the Skagerrak. Many plans were discarded; these are displayed in an exhibition case. Finally, in 1777, construction of the “Schleswig-Holstein Canal” began. From 1784, it was used for over 100 years and was the largest canal in Europe at the time. It was 180 km long, and 3,000 workers were employed in its construction. The canal largely followed the Eider River and connected it to the Baltic Sea via an artificial channel to Kiel Bay. After 1848, it was also called the “Eider Canal.”After the Schleswig-Holstein uprising of 1848, a new canal was already being planned, but implementation failed due to the fragmentation of the German states. A plan from 1865 already showed a route similar to today’s.In 1878, the shipowner Hermann Dahlström, together with Senior Building Officer Otto Baensch, presented a new plan following the current route, for which Chancellor Otto von Bismarck could be convinced.The Chancellor persuaded the aging Kaiser Wilhelm I of the necessity of the new canal using military arguments. The costs were estimated at 156 million gold marks.On June 3, 1887, the Kaiser ceremoniously laid the foundation stone in Holtenau. The then landowner of Hanerau, Reichstag member Dr. Heinrich Wachs, was also invited.PlanningThe planned route of the canal between Brunsbüttel and Kiel was revised multiple times. On the 1865 plan, the route in our area was entirely different. From Burg, it was to pass Hohenhörn, through the Hanerau Valley via Mühlenteich to Lütjenwestedt and Westensee.For unknown reasons, the route was changed, passing through the Grünenthal Hills, which over the past 130 years has led to increased costs due to landslides. Even in 1886, the route through Reitmoor was altered so that the town of Breiholz lay north of the canal instead of south.The exhibition “The Kiel Canal from Hohenhörn to Breiholz” shows how the canal was planned and constructed, how land was acquired, bridges were built, and all difficulties were overcome within the set time and budget.ConstructionThousands of workers from across Europe were recruited for canal construction, most of them German citizens from the eastern provinces. Local residents were not hired to avoid depriving local craftsmen of labor.Work began manually with shovels, picks, wheelbarrows, and carts, as machinery had to be dismantled, transported, and rebuilt, often needing to be newly constructed. Barracks were built to house the workers in Hohenhörn, Bornholt, Grünenthal, Fischerhütte, Oldenbüttel, and Wienböken. Each had dormitories, a medical station, laundry, and a large kitchen. They were located on the south side of the trench. While basic supplies were available locally, special items were purchased in Hademarschen. Soon, many colonial goods stores, textile shops, inns, and workshops were established.Residents of Hademarschen mostly lived in simple thatched farmhouses and modest accommodations. Economic growth allowed the construction of grand stone buildings, some of which still survive today.Canal CrossingsThe new canal disrupted numerous railway and road connections. The Kaiser promised that all these connections would be maintained by ferries or bridges, which is why the canal ferries are still free today.The first cable ferries were adventurous and dangerous for horse-drawn vehicles. Some wagons sank in the canal. Only motor ferries after the first expansion in 1914 provided safer crossings. Earlier motor ferries still followed a chain on the canal bed – one such ferry is displayed on land at nearby Fischerhütte, with the plans also shown in the exhibition.Since 1877, the Neumünster-Tönning railway line had been in operation. To cross the future canal, construction of the Grünenthal High Bridge began early. The canal excavation material was used to build the new railway embankment. By 1892, the bridge – 42 meters above water – was completed, built on solid ground with scaffolding and even included its own station. On October 25, 1892, Kaiser Wilhelm II visited the completed bridge. The area of the goods station in Beldorf, where the Kaiser’s salon car stopped, has since been called “Kaiserkoppel”, and the former commission house where he had breakfast was named “Kaiserhof.” The early completion of the bridge allowed uninterrupted operation of the so-called West Railway.During the second expansion of the Kiel Canal in the 1980s, the elegantly curved bridge had to be replaced. The demolition and reconstruction are documented in the exhibition. A model of the old bridge, created by a school class, is on display, along with a design model for the new bridge that was ultimately abandoned due to costs.OpeningSeven years after planning began, the canal was opened on schedule. Of the estimated construction costs, 1.4 million marks were left for a grand opening ceremony in Holtenau.A model of the specially constructed ceremonial hall in the shape of a large sailing ship is displayed in the exhibition.At the opening, to everyone’s surprise, Kaiser Wilhelm II modestly named it the “Kaiser Wilhelm Canal.” The exhibition shows commemorative coins for the opening and other occasions.Technological development progressed rapidly; newly built ships became larger, making the canal too narrow even upon completion. Plans for the first expansion were already initiated. This expansion from 60 to 100 meters in width took place from 1907 to 1914 and was completed before the outbreak of World War I.During the construction of the A23 highway in 1989, another high bridge was built between Hohenhörn and Bornholt over the canal.Hanerau-based photographer Gotthilf Constabel documented the construction of the Kiel Canal with photos, albums, and brochures, which are displayed in the exhibition.The Union FlagA large flag with an interesting history hangs in the exhibition room. In the 1920s, the canal workers and ferry operators from Oldenbüttel, with help from their wives, created a union flag. After 1933, such symbols were banned. One member hid it in the staircase paneling of his house. During searches by the NSDAP, it was not found.The subsequent British military government immediately discovered it in a similar search in 1945. No information could be obtained from the worker; it is assumed that at the time, the flag was deliberately hidden, as the workers relied on each other daily for ferry operations.The Gieselau CanalAnother canal in the area is the Gieselau Canal, which connects the Eider at Lexfähre with the Kiel Canal near Oldenbüttel. A lock in the middle adjusts the water level between the Eider and the canal.The canal was constructed as a public works project in 1936/37. It made the Eider lock in Rendsburg redundant and eliminated the traffic bottleneck there. Numerous photos show the construction and course of the Gieselau Canal.Books are available in the exhibition room for visitors seeking further information.
