Fagus Factory and Bad Pyrmont

After an overnight stay at the Barnten estate, we took a brief tour past the rabbit and quail enclosures before setting off again in the morning.

We drove to Alfeld to the Fagus factory, which still houses a shoe last factory and was founded in 1911 by entrepreneur Carl Benscheidt.

The construction was the first major commission for architect Walter Gropius, who would later become famous as the founder of the Bauhaus.

Since 2011, the entire factory complex has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

For exploring the outdoor area, we rented an audio guide that explained the architecture and function of the various buildings.

Unfortunately, the weather became a bit uncomfortable, and we were glad that the second part of the tour led through the old timber storage hall into museum rooms across five levels.

In addition to the history of the buildings, we learned a lot about the production of shoe lasts, shoes, fire protection systems, composite wood, and the forest as an ecosystem - a colorful mix of exhibition topics that were all connected to the factory and its later expansions.

In the end, we spent over three hours on the premises - significantly more than we initially thought.

As we continued our journey, we only made a brief stop in Bad Pyrmont, where we took a short tour of the palace and spa facilities.

The palace complex was still open to visitors, even though the museum had already closed.

We also visited the colonnade, where only a few shops were still open.

When we arrived in the shopping street, it started to rain more heavily, so we made our way back to the car.