Discover, experience, decipher: Open locked doors and tricky trick locks as you learn how people have protected themselves and their possessions over the past 4,000 years.

Why did Roman women wear a key on their finger? How does a lock cylinder work? And why did the people of Velbert start making keys and locks? The German Lock and Fitting Museum tells the storey of around 4,000 years of locking and security technology. The permanent exhibition showcases exhibits from different eras – from the Egyptian cylinder seal to the French safe. Touching is expressly allowed: visitors can pick up keys, try trick locks, and unlock doors.

This approach runs through the entire exhibition, with interactive and multimedia stations and functional models that invite you to try things out. There's also a special tour for families, where kids can solve exciting puzzles and playfully immerse themselves in the world of keys, locks, and fittings.

In 2021, the new museum building opened with a modern exhibition space. The museum's changing special exhibitions are shown in the Wilhelminian Villa Herminghaus, once the residence of a family of manufacturers.