Historic oil extraction pump from Neptune Energy is moving to the open-air museum

For decades, so-called ‘horse-head’ pumps were a familiar sight in many of Germany’s oil-producing regions. One such pump is now on permanent display at the Kiekeberg Open-Air Museum.

The rig originates from the Reitbrook-Alt oil field in Hamburg, where it was in use from the 1960s onwards. Neptune Energy has made the pump available to the open-air museum.

“We are delighted that the pump has found a permanent home at the Kiekeberg Open-Air Museum, ensuring that a piece of regional oil history is preserved for the public,” says Silke Bender, project spokesperson for Neptune Energy. “Even though our production operations in the Hamburg area have come to an end, Neptune Energy will still be busy with plugging and abandonment work for several more years.”

The pump belonged to the Reitbrook 60 well. The well was drilled in 1939 and 1940 and reaches a depth of around 700 metres. The pump now on display was in operation there from 1961 to 2020. Today, it stands at Kiekeberg as a reminder of the importance of oil production for the region.

In the museum, the pump complements the ‘Königsberger Straße’ display, which illustrates life and work in the decades following the Second World War. This concrete technical example thus illustrates the role that oil played as an energy source and raw material in everyday life during the 20th century.

Whilst the pump at Kiekeberg will remain in place, plugging and abandonment of the former oil infrastructure continues a few kilometres away. In the Reitbrook-Alt field, Neptune Energy is backfilling a total of around 80 former wells. Subsequently, facilities and pipelines will be dismantled and the land reclaimed. The entire project is expected to take around six years.

This means that Neptune Energy’s responsibility does not end with the last tonne of oil produced. The aim of the plugging and abandonment is to restore the land previously used for production to a usable state and return it, for example, to agriculture or nature.

The historic pump at Kiekeberg serves as a special link in this process: it stands as a reminder of more than eight decades of oil history in the region, whilst at its former sites the return to nature has already begun.

Neptune Energy is one of Germany’s leading commodities companies. With over 135 years’ experience, we ensure a secure supply for industry and society. Our aim: Today we produce what counts tomorrow. Around 460 employees across many regions of Germany and at our head office in Hanover are committed to three key areas of activity

Base – Gas & Oil: safe and reliable production of domestic energy resources

Balance – plugging andabandonment: taking responsibility for the past and restoring nature

Boost – New Energy: actively shaping the future, for example with lithium from Germany

This is how we combine experience with progress. Neptune Energy’s revenue for the 2025 financial year stood at 332 million euros (IFRS). Total annual production of gas and oil amounted to 5.9 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).