A new shine for mother-of-pearl: millions invested in Adorf

Shimmering jewelry, buttons made from mussel shells and water features: An adventure center is set to open in Adorf this year, where everything will revolve around the freshwater pearl mussel, its habitat and the former processing of mussel shell mother-of-pearl in the Vogtland region. Guests will then be able to "literally immerse themselves in the topic" in the three-storey building, says Mayor Rico Schmidt (non-party).

To this end, the almost 250-year-old half-timbered building of the former Perlmutter Museum has been combined with a modern new building. The mayor currently estimates the total costs at 5.9 million euros. More than half of this will come from subsidies. In the cramped rooms of the previous building, the Adorf mother-of-pearl exhibition with several hundred exhibits had long since reached its capacity limits, explains museum director Steffen Dietz.

In the past, the small town with currently around 4,700 inhabitants was a center for the production of mother-of-pearl goods in Germany with up to 1,000 employees. "The shimmering inside of shells was processed into everyday objects and accessories in factories and at home," says Dietz. A large selection of buttons, caskets and large mantel clocks will now form part of the new exhibition. The terms mother-of-pearl and mother-of-pearl are often used interchangeably.

Pearl jewelry from the Vogtland in the Green Vault

The nearby mountain streams around the Weiße Elster and the river itself were an important distribution area for the river pearl mussel, which is now threatened with extinction. Thousands of these small aquatic animals have been fished out since the Baroque era - always in search of valuable pearls inside.

"These were then often made into jewelry. Pearl fishing was under the control of the Saxon royal family," emphasizes Dietz. A necklace in the Green Vault made of 177 pearls from Vogtland waters bears witness to this. "All of this is to be taken up in the exhibition."

Topics such as the mussels' habitat, threats to the animals and their protection will also be covered in the adventure center. "Our vision is to establish Adorf as a mother-of-pearl town, especially with this unusual history for a low mountain region," hopes the mayor. The number of visitors to the previous museum was no more than 4,000 per year due to lack of space. After the opening, which is planned for the second half of the year, it could be up to 15,000.

Virtual mother-of-pearl trail to be created

The history and achievements of Adorf as a mother-of-pearl town are also to be presented digitally, adds Antje Goßler, head of the main office. The additional project was developed in collaboration with architects from TU Dresden and an association called Südwestsachsen Digital.

"We want to create a virtual mother-of-pearl trail through the city. And use QR codes at individual stations to remind people of former production sites in the mother-of-pearl processing industry, for example," explains Goßler. To this end, contemporary witnesses are being interviewed and 3D models of former factories are being created. "The result will be a kind of digital museum that will virtually complement our experience center."