Touristischer Führer - Landkreis Nordwestmecklenburg

Rural District Museum North-West Mecklenburg
(East German Agricultural Engineering Museum)
Teil des dezentralen Landesmuseums Mecklenburg-Schwerin/englisch
This agricultural machine is a broadcast
sowing machine which simultaneously scatters
grass and clover seeds. Based on an
invention by Dr. Ernst Alban (1791-1856) it
was built in the machine factory of Johann
Witt in Schwerin round about 1900. It was
still in use on a private farm near Bad Doberan
as late as the 1950s.
The Rural District Museum with its emphasis
on the second half of the 20th century has a
lot more to offer in the field of agricultural
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The independent development of the
domain of the bishops of Ratzeburg led to
a characteristic culture influencing architecture,
furniture and traditional costumes
which is unparalleled in Mecklenburg.
The museum – which has been in existence
for over a hundred years – has been housed
in the 250-year-old historic mansion
next to the church for 75 years. Its open air
exhibition includes the traditional mayor's
house, the „Schulzenhof“ in Bechelsdorf on
the outskirts of town.
Here the visitor can find two exceptional
examples of rural life in one of the most
remarkable landscapes of Mecklenburg.
The mayor's house built in 1525 and
containing all the historical fur-
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engineering, domestic and farming techniques,
agricultural policy and folk history from
the region of West Mecklenburg. The museum
presents a permanent exhibition in a spacious
hall and partially roofed outdoor areas.
Touring and special exhibitions as well as
educational events complete the range offered
here. Founded in 1978, it is situated in a village
which gave its name to the entire region.
Naturally, there is a lot to be discovered here
about „Mecklenburg's birthplace“.
Folk Museum of the Ratzeburg Region
nishings was inhabited until 1851 and
used to include the local court of law. The
post of the village mayor, or „Schulze“ was
hereditary.
The typical pre-reformation regional barn
from 1518 is unique. Both buildings were
transferred to Schönberg from neighbouring
Bechelsdorf in the previous century.
They symbolise rural wealth due to the
absence of serfdom and the banning of a
division of estates. This was augmented by
the primarily economic interests of the sovereign
bishops. The facing horses’ heads
on the farmhouse eaves indicate the
extent of the former principality
of Ratzeburg.