History and present

The Oderberg Inland Waterways Museum looks back on a long tradition. Its roots date back to the early 1950s, when numerous finds from the Bronze and Iron Ages were made in the Oderberg area.

In order to make these treasures accessible to the public, teacher and amateur archaeologist Hermann Seidel founded a local history museum

in 1954. In his honour, the street where the museum is located today has borne his name since the 1990s.

Soon, the focus shifted to inland waterway transport in the Oder region. This development was significantly influenced by Günther Hoffmann, 

a teacher, later museum director and passionate inland waterway transport enthusiast. Under his leadership, the local history museum developed into a technology museum.

A special milestone was the acquisition in 1978 of the historic Elbe side-wheel steamboat ‘RIESA’, which was saved from scrapping and became the centrepiece of the open-air exhibition.

After the political change, the museum was temporarily threatened with closure, but was permanently secured in 2008 

when it was taken over by a support association. Today, the Inland Waterways Museum presents the history of inland waterway transport,

waterways, hydraulic engineering and the life and work of the people in the region in various exhibition rooms.

This is complemented by the fishing and craft traditions of Oderberg and numerous archaeological finds

from prehistory and early history.

The museum is Brandenburg's oldest technology museum and is divided into three areas:

the main building with themed exhibitions,

the museum park on the Old Oder,

and the exhibition ship ‘RIESA’ with a covered upper and lower deck.

The Oderberg Inland Waterways Museum invites its guests on a fascinating journey through time – from the early settlement of the region

to the heyday of the Oder as an important waterway to the technology, trade and culture of inland waterway transport.