Among other things, you can meet Wandermusikanten from Salzgitter, who played music and danced to the delight of their audiences on all continents of the world in the 19th century. The original instruments and documents, such as passports, illustrate the lives of these musicians.

The crafts in Salzgitter, exemplified by the pottery and pewter casting trades, underwent a profound change at the beginning of the 19th century. During the Kingdom of Westphalia (1807-1813), the supremacy of the guilds was abolished. The resulting freedom of trade and commerce meant that, for the first time, craftsmen were able to practise their trade without the approval of the guilds.

Visitors to the exhibition also get to know Heinrich Friedrichs, a day laborer, and Heinrich Julius Ahrens, a member of the German National Assembly. Both used their means to fight for a better, democratic world in the mid-19th century.

The festive table, which comes from the house of a wealthy farmer, vividly documents the change in eating habits among the rural population. On holidays and feast days, people wanted to eat just as well and as varied as the townspeople.

The early years of the 20th century, with their technical innovations, also played an important role in the Salzgitter region. The first hydroelectric generators supplied the south of Salzgitter with electricity and the first railroad lines connected the Salzgitter region with the outside world.