The craft of ropemaking made Schlotheim famous far beyond its borders and gave the town the nickname "ropemaking town".

Around 1850, a unique industry developed here with 19 rope-making and weaving companies at one location. Until 1989, over 2500 people worked in this flourishing textile industry (ropemaking/weaving). However, the following years brought drastic structural changes.

The Seilermuseum was set up in a former spinning mill that was moved here especially for this purpose. After the closure of the operations, various machines and looms were brought into the museum from 1994. These are still fully functional and are presented to visitors on guided tours.

Right next to the Seilermuseum is one of the last five windmills in the Unstrut-Hainich district. The "Linke-Mühle" is one of the few largely original windmills from the 19th century. Built in 1861 and later extended, it ground grain using wind power until 1948 and electric power until 1964. It was then used as a warehouse for a time, but stood empty for many years. It has been restored since 2014.