Industriemuseum Unterer und Oberer Eisenhammer

In the "Lippisches Bergland", several small springs join to form the Exter, which makes its way through an idyllic valley to the Weser, into which it then flows east of Rinteln. The gradient and the many small tributaries give the Exter a large amount of water over a length of just 25 kilometers, which in earlier times powered a large number of water mills. The Exter valley was therefore also known as the valley of the water mills.

In the early industrial center of Exten, iron hammers were operated from around 1710. Water was fed to the mill wheels via a hammer ditch, which drove the early "tail hammers", later spring hammers were used. Shovels, spades, axes, hatchets and garden tools were mainly produced here.

Under the name "Extenia", spades made seamlessly from a single piece were produced here, which are coveted by connoisseurs. Today, the former production sites of the Lower and Upper Iron Hammer are a unique industrial monument. The exhibitions to be explored here include the completely preserved old and functioning craft technology, operational spring hammers weighing several tons, pre-industrial tools and machines for forging as well as in-house power generation. In these two sites of past hard work, working and everyday life from the past is brought back to life and can be experienced at first hand.

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