The fire station
A perfect family day in Eslohe
Regen im Frühjahr, zwei Kids voller Energie, zwei ratlose Eltern, die den Tag sinnvoll für alle Beteiligten retten wollen: Wie wäre es mit einem Besuch des DampfLandLeute Museums in Eslohe, von dem wir schon viel Gutes gehört haben? Und anschließend ins Spritzenhaus. In diesem knuffigen Fachwerkhaus mit seiner wechselvollen Geschichte soll im letzten Sommer eine neue Pizzeria eröffnet haben. Die Internetseiten sowohl vom Museum als auch der Pizzeria sind sehr ansprechend und machen Lust auf einen Besuch – also auf nach Eslohe!
Unser erster Eindruck: Eslohe ist ein schönes Örtchen mit viel Sauerländer Fachwerk und stilvollen kleinen Geschäften. Und das DampfLandLeute Museum ist viel größer, als wir dachten. Da werden wir den Regentag gut rumkriegen. Das 2.000 Quadratmeter große, barrierefreie Anwesen hieß bis vor knapp sechs Jahren noch Maschinen- und Heimatmuseum, erfahren wir. Aber der Name klang etwas altbacken, deshalb hat sich der Museumsverein entschieden, das DampfLandLeute Museum daraus zu machen: „Dampf“ steht für die vielen alten Maschinen, die die Industrialisierung vor gut 100 Jahren eingeläutet und auch ins Sauerland gebracht haben. Und die Begriffe „Land“ und „Leute“ stehen für … ja, eben für Land und Leute und alles, was das Sauerland und seine Menschen von der Vergangenheit bis heute geprägt hat: die Land- und die Forstwirtschaft, das Handwerk im Wandel der Zeiten mit Berufen, die es heute teils gar nicht mehr gibt. Auch die Frauen und ihre damalige Rolle sind Thema: Wie wurde gekocht, eingemacht, gewurstet, gewaschen, gebügelt und gestickt? Wie und wo ist das Essen gewachsen und verarbeitet worden? Wie sah der Alltag einer Sauerländer Familie vor 100 Jahren aus?
Travel back in time to your own childhood
The lovingly decorated exhibition rooms offer one déjà vu after another. I can see my grandmother in her apron again, cooking brawn and preserving plums. Transfigured memories of making hay and picking potatoes come flooding back. My husband stands with shining eyes in front of tools and machines that have long been forgotten. Trades such as wainwright, saddler and charcoal burner come back to life. Or locksmiths, blacksmiths, carpenters, hairdressers: they still exist, but their workplaces and products look completely different today. The children are amazed and can't even imagine what and how they once worked. In the agricultural department, a winter school is shown, which people used to only go to in the cold season: "Hey, that's really cool, we want something like that!" The kids can't imagine that young people back then had to work hard to feed their families. They have fun with the interactive touchscreens, which they can use to create presentations from photos, videos and texts on various topics.
A small printer workshop with a typewriter keyboard they can touch. "We used to write with something like this back when there were no cell phones, PC keyboards or WhatsApp," I explain to the children. In the former forge with its impressive steam engines, the smell of metal, lubricating oil and hard work fills the air. Many of the machines are still fully functional. They are put back into operation twice a year during the legendary Eslohe Steam Days at the end of May and the end of September. In the 19th century, these steam engines caused a nationwide revolution by mechanizing and industrializing many production processes that had previously been carried out entirely by hand.
Eslohe beckons for a shopping spree
The time in the museum flies by and the children are also well occupied. After so much food for the brain, it's time for the stomach. So off to the Spritzenhaus. Have I already mentioned the tempting owner-managed stores on the way there? For example, the Stinn fashion store opposite the Spritzenhaus. But in our family, it's 3:1 in favor of hunger and against shopping. Even in the spring rain, the Spritzenhaus looks wonderfully cozy with its rustic architecture and idyllic half-timbered surroundings. Spend a balmy summer evening outside in the Biergarten with a fresh Veltins ... We step inside and are immediately certain: if Germany is ever looking for the most beautiful pizzeria, the Spritzenhaus is right at the top. The owners Mira, Altin and their whole team have the patience of angels, even with "schnöggelige Blagen", as the Sauerland people say. Gluten-free food? No problem, the Spritzenhaus always has gluten-free pasta and bread on offer and provides very competent advice on which dishes are possible. A great service for all those affected, which cannot be taken for granted. The children are taken seriously and served like adults. This makes a noticeable impression, they can actually behave promptly and watch spellbound as our cutlery is covered with white gloves.
When we look at the drinks menu, we have to smile: just like the whole Spritzenhaus, it offers a perfect mix of Sauerland and Italy - there are Veltins varieties, which were even brewed in the neighboring town of Grevenstein, alongside Italian wines and aperitifs. And here comes our food. My rocket pizza is delicious: a nice crispy base with a slightly raised edge and just the right amount of cheese and tomatoes. You can really taste that they use natural spices rather than flavor enhancers. What would be my special recommendation from the menu? I agree with chef Altin: "Everything is special here!" Everything is cooked according to our own recipes and should therefore be discovered. He is right.
We'll be back!
The soft Italian music, the ambience in black and white in its beautiful combination of old and modern, the shimmering glasses on the table and on the shelves, the view of the beautiful half-timbered houses and the outdoor terrace of the Spritzenhaus on the Esselbach rushing past - Hachen, it makes you feel all soulful! Next to us at the table, a young couple are gazing languidly at each other over their prawns. It's a good thing they both eat garlic, I think. And: the Spritzenhaus would be perfect for a romantic evening on our wedding day. Perhaps with a leisurely stroll through the charming stores (and finally my fashion store Stinn, of course!) and a browse through the Gefu outlet for new stylish household gadgets?
My husband indulges in his Argentinian fillet of beef with homemade red wine sauce and is startled: "What? Anniversary?" Oh right, not for a while. He washes down his relief with a full gulp of Veltins. Yes, back to the Spritzenhaus, very good idea. And ride a bit on the SauerlandRadring first, when the bat tunnel reopens in April, he thinks. Play mini golf and go to the Esselbad. Okay, that's not exactly what I meant. But why not? A nice family outing, perhaps to the steam days? That would definitely be fun for the children. There was still so much to discover in the museum that we didn't manage to do. Or he could take the children on his bike, I could go shopping in peace and quiet, then go back to the Spritzenhaus and enjoy a nice day in Eslohe together. Or two!
Text: Rita Maurer
Photos: Ralf Litera
Video: Jannik Fischbach
Further links
You can find these and other stories in the Arnsberg-Sundern Heimatliebe