Erdölmuseum Reinkenhagen


Useful Information

Location: Alte Dorfstraße 10, 18519 Sundhagen / OT Reinkenhagen.
A20 exit 20 Stralsund, B96/E22/E251 exit Wilmshagen, in Reinkenhagen, turn left.
(54.191150, 13.177060)
Open: All year Tue-Thu 10-16.
[2023]
Fee: Adults EUR 3, Children (5-16) EUR 1, Children (0-4) frei, Students EUR 2, Disabled EUR 2, Families (2+2) EUR 5.
Groups (10+): Adults EUR 1.50, Children EUR 0.50.
[2023]
Classification: MineCrude Oil
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours: self guided
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography: (): Schatzsucher, Fördervereins "Erdöl und Heimat e. V." Reinkenhagen.
(2015): Erdölmuseum Reinkenhagen/Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - ein Museumsführer, Fördervereins "Erdöl und Heimat e. V." Reinkenhagen.
Address: Förderverein Erdöl und Heimat e.V., Alte Dorfstraße 10, 18519 Sundhagen, Tel: +49-38328-70500. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Geology


Description

The Erdölmuseum Reinkenhagen (Reinkenhagen Petroleum Museum) documents the development of the petroleum and natural gas industry in the GDR. Unlike other natural resources, crude oil and natural gas are not extracted in mines. It is mined by drilling, and the only visible facilities are drilling equipment, pumps and pipelines. Most countries in Europe had oil production, although this was replaced in the mid-20th century by oil imports from the Middle East. So many countries also have petroleum museums, Germany has three, and they are all in the North German Plain, which has petroleum deposits for geological reasons. Reinkenhagen is the only petroleum museum in Eastern Germany and specialises in the history of oil and gas production in the GDR. The museum was opened in 1994 and has been run by the Reinkenhagen association "Erdöl und Heimat e. V." since 1995. The members are mainly retirees from the oil industry.

The first successful drilling for oil in the GDR was in 1961 near Reinkenhagen. Oil was reached at a depth of 2,300 m in the Zechstein. That was the beginning of the state-run oil industry. Other drilling sites were Grimmen (1964), Richtenberg (1964) and Lütow on Usedom (1965). The museum documents the history of the development of the former Grimmen oil company from 1962 to 2001.

The museum is located in the social building of the former field headquarters. The exhibition area of 300 m² shows how crude oil is created and extracted on the mainland as well as offshore. Particularly curious is an exhibition of guest gifts that the drilling experts received during their work in other countries. Also interesting is an exhibition of underground measuring instruments, rescue equipment, instructions on how to behave in an emergency and work instructions from the active days of oil and gas production. The most important part of the museum, however, is an open-air area of more than 6,000 m² where the technology used is exhibited. The basis of oil production was the exhibited deep pump drive with probe head equipment. Also of interest was a type A 50Y drilling/probe repair rig with a maximum torque of 4989 Nm at 1500 rpm. Also on display is an approximately 12 m long section of pipe from the Baltic Sea pipeline with an internal diameter of 1153 mm and a weight of 12 t and a section of pipe from the NEL pipeline with a length of 18 m and a total weight of 15 t. The technical background of the NORD STREAM 2 Baltic Sea pipeline is also explained in the museum. An offshore rescue capsule that was in use in the Dutch North Sea until 1990 is quite exceptional. Other technical monuments can be visited along the Erdölstraße (oil road) between the museum and the outskirts of the village.