After the Second World War, the era of mass motorization began with affordable cars like the VW Beetle (VW Käfer). Oil companies built networks of gas stations. The gas station in the museum was built in 1951 by the Diehl family in Niederschelden. The modern concrete structure was designed by the company J. & A. Homberg. In 1973, the Avia Group took over the gas station, which closed in 1987. In 2010, the gas station was moved to the museum. It symbolizes the development of mobility in rural Westphalia.
In earlier centuries, fire was a constant danger: open hearth and candles often led to fires. The only tools available for fighting fires were buckets, hooks, and ladders. In the 18th century, the first fire insurance companies were established in Westphalia. From 1841, a “Fire Police Regulation” required all municipalities to maintain a fire engine (Feuerspritze) – a horse-drawn pump with a water tank and hoses, operated by volunteer teams.
Clogs are made entirely or predominantly from wood, usually from a single piece of poplar. Traditional clogs enclose the foot like modern low shoes. They were common throughout Northern Europe in various regional forms for centuries, and in the rural areas of Westphalia until the 1950s. In Westphalia, clogs were called “Holsken” or “Holschen”. The wooden shoes protected from sharp objects on the paths and also from wetness.
