The Sayner Hütte Foundation conducted the project “Work and Life in the Sayner Hütte – Discovering Industrial Culture!” from January to July 2025 together with 8th grade students from Theodor-Heuss-Schule in Bendorf, supported by the Förderkreis Rheinisches Eisenkunstguss-Museum e. V. The results of the “Culture Makes Strong” project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Museums Association, will now be presented in a small exhibition at the visitor center of the Sayner Hütte from June 25 to July 20, 2025.

The Sayner Hütte was an iron foundry that provided work to many people in the surrounding area from 1769 to 1926. Child laborers also worked in the foundry, such as the hut boy Toni, from whose life and everyday experiences the participants learned many details and compared with their own modern lives.

Together, they explored the buildings, the museum, the archive, as well as the surroundings of today’s industrial monument. There were many original objects from iron casting, as well as historical photographs and items from the daily lives of workers and locations of local industrial history to discover.

Under the guidance of museum director Barbara Friedhofen, they approached the casting process with great fun while making colorful icing sculptures. The icing sculptures were modeled after iron casting objects from the museum collection.

Master machinist Volker Allexi introduced all the students to the art of molding models in foundry sand in the casting hall of the Sayner Hütte. Special highlights included pouring the mold with liquid metal and, after the mold cooled, the “unpacking” of the casting piece.

With artist Ines Braun, they drew, collaged, and designed. The self-created pattern book relates to the field of work of the design draftsman of the Sayner Hütte.

All results, casting pieces, photos, sketches, collages, poster designs, and project photos will be displayed in the exhibition "THS meets Sayner Hütte," for which the project participants warmly invite all interested parties to the opening on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at 2 PM in the Sayner Hütte.