28 January 2019

Pleasure & Punishment - PETERS SchokoWelt in Lippstadt

PETERS SchokoWelt in Lippstadt is a chocolate museum celebrating the Peters family's history and chocolate making. Visitors enjoy interactive exhibits, tastings, workshops, and a unique café in a creative atmosphere.

Text: Olaf Adam; Photos: Olaf Adam, PETERS SchokoWelt
This article originally appeared in 0dB – The Magazine of Passion N°3

To all those obsessed with slimming and those who disdain pleasure, let it be said once and for all: Chocolate. Makes. You. Happy! This is due to certain ingredients in cocoa, the physiologically almost perfect mix of carbohydrates and fat, and to a large extent, psychology and ingrained habits. Either way, when we bite into a piece of chocolate, the reward center in our brain jubilantly opens the hormone floodgates and we feel great.

Sweet life

So it's no surprise that Christian Frochte-Peters is an exceptionally cheerful person, as he has been involved with chocolate his entire life. That's inevitable when you are born into the Peters family. Christian’s grandfather, Franz Peters, once ran an ice cream parlor in Lippstadt, which quickly became the leading café in town. His son-in-law, Norbert Frochte-Peters, developed the company into an internationally active manufacturer of fine chocolate and praline creations, whose products are now sold in 31 countries.

Christian Frochte-Peters, a passionate master confectioner like his father and grandfather, has now fulfilled a personal dream with PETERS SchokoWelt: his own museum, which celebrates chocolate as a bringer of happiness in all its facets, shares insights about the origins, raw materials, and production of chocolate, and presents the family’s history at the same time.

Peters SchokoWelt in Lippstadt offers creative chocolate designs and delicious specialties for chocolate lovers. — Peters SchokoWelt in Lippstadt: A paradise for chocolate lovers with creative design and delicious specialties.

The newly constructed building for this purpose rises proudly with four floors in front of the headquarters of Peters GmbH, so that the terrace on the top floor offers a fantastic view of Lippstadt and the surrounding area. Even on the ground floor, there is much to see. For one, the chocolate shop brimming with tempting delights, but above all, the KaffeeBar. Throughout the entire SchokoWelt, a lovingly unique interior design prevails, a playful variation of the so-called steampunk style. Golden cogs and fantasy machines, some with, some without any obvious function, meet purple walls, opulent velvet furniture, and extraordinary lampshades made from old hats.

With such a cheerful atmosphere, it’s no wonder that all guests in the KaffeeBar are in the best of moods. Of course, that could also be due to the delightfully presented little cakes displayed in the case at the entrance and served with coffee at the tables. Or to the many other delicious treats available here in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon.

Happy guests enjoy their time at Peters Schokowelt in Lippstadt, surrounded by stylish hat lamps and delicious food.

Delicious museum

From there, you take the elevator straight to the top floor, where the tour and guided visits through SchokoWelt begin. Even in the elevator, you encounter another example of the creators’ irrepressible design spirit, as a simple button panel to select your floor would have been just too boring. The lift ride is accompanied by a computer animation on a screen (by the way, like many other elements of the presentation technology in the exhibition, installed by AUDITORIUM). From a black-and-white photograph, a mischievous little boy greets visitors, who will encounter him again throughout the exhibition. This is none other than Christian Frochte-Peters himself at a very, very young age.

A stylish Steampunk-themed café corner at Peters Schokowelt in Lippstadt, ideal for chocolate lovers. — A stylish corner in Peters Schokowelt in Lippstadt with steampunk decor and a cozy café atmosphere. Perfect for chocolate lovers who want to enjoy the view of the greenery.

Once you reach the top floor, you first enjoy the aforementioned view over the area. Up here, there's also a small, fully equipped bar used for special events. In the stairwell on the way down, the story of the Peters family is told in pictures, and "chocolate director" Sandra Wallbaum adds interesting details during the guided tours. For example, she explains what the story was with the “cold Franz.”

Exhibition at Peters Schokowelt in Lippstadt showing cocoa cultivation, harvest, and chocolate fermentation process. — Explore the fascinating world of chocolate at Peters Schokowelt in Lippstadt. Discover the cultivation and harvesting of cocoa as well as the art of fermentation in this informative exhibition.

The actual museum floors focus on an entertaining mix of presentation, interaction, and demonstration. In the patisserie, you can watch skilled hands making pralines—and even taste the results. Comic animations explain the basic steps of chocolate production, and in a scent bar you can put your sense of smell to the test. Elaborate chocolate artworks, made on site by the in-house chocolatiers, recreate old machines and methods.

Multimedia and chocolate fountain

In the cinema, created together with AUDITORIUM, three synchronized projectors present the history of chocolate and the company in super widescreen format. One floor below, the massive machinery of the three-stream chocolate fountain awaits chocolate lovers of all ages. Here, everyone can put together their own personal tasting experience from milk, dark, and white chocolate; across the way, delicious pastries and other treats are made in the visible bakery.

Pastry chefs working at Peters Schokowelt in Lippstadt, creating artistic cakes in a place of indulgence and sweetness. — Confectioners at work in Peters Schokowelt in Lippstadt, where artistic cakes are created. A place of indulgence and sweetness.

During opening hours, you can explore SchokoWelt at your own pace, or join one of the daily tours. Groups can also book a private guided tour in advance, and SchokoWelt regularly hosts workshops with plenty of hands-on participation. These include special offers for gentlemen who have always wanted to make pralines with their favorite cognac, or for unforgettable children’s birthday parties.

Steampunk decor with gears, pipes, and lights creates a magical atmosphere in Peter's Chocolate World in Lippstadt. — Unique steampunk design at Peters Schokowelt in Lippstadt: a fascinating mix of gears, pipes, and decorative lights that creates a magical atmosphere.

One thing is certain: Anyone who leaves SchokoWelt and passes by the KaffeeBar and shop on the ground floor without tasting some of the creations on offer either hasn’t read the first sentence of this article or possesses truly remarkable self-control. Or perhaps simply ate their fill at the chocolate fountain.