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Well then... Hello and welcome to our audience here at the European Metal Roofers' and Coppersmiths' Museum, and at home on your smartphones or computers. Today, we're broadcasting from the small Franconian town of Karlstadt, right by the beautiful River Main.

Karlstadt has a lot to offer: an old castle, a historic town hall, the very best wine and a real-life ecclesiastical reformer. But the stealth attraction in this pretty little town is to be found south of the old town, on Ringstrasse: the European Metal Roofers' and Coppersmiths' Museum. Three floors offering everything a craftsman's heart desires! Sheet metal, pliers, double seam lockers and bending brakes... and an entire sky studded with soldering lamps! Definitely worth a special programme!

But before we make our way inside and take a closer look, let me draw your attention to this utterly remarkable building. For those of you following us at home on your devices: the European Metal Roofers' and Coppersmiths' Museum is housed in an ultra-modern... or should I say futuristic … building designed by local Karlstadt architect Alfred Wiener in 1993:

Auf dem Bildschirm: Slideshow 01_02 bis 01_05

It’s a steel construction with a cuboid main building around which four geometric structures are arranged. From here, I can see a quarter-circle barrel and a pyramidion. And at the back of the main building, we have a cone and a trapezoid.
Geometric shapes every metal roofer and coppersmith has to know inside out. Even the materials suggest real craftsmanship. The four component structures are clad in patinated copper, pre-weathered zinc and aluminium, while the roof is stainless steel. And of course, even out here, you can identify a wide range of sheet metalworking techniques. Angle seam and roll cap cladding and, last but not least, a door the colour of gold. And if all that has made you want to know more, all I can say is: come in! Join us as we venture into the wonderful world of metal roofers and coppersmiths!

...erm... then again, you might want to start by taking a look at the exhibits here in the garden. Because they have their own story to tell. But after that, let's head straight into the museum!