Ballenberg, Swiss Open-Air Museum – Experience true Swissness. Our homes, stables and barns are in hibernation. We will once again be open every day from 9 April 2026.
Locking up alone won’t do the trick
Many tasks must be performed before a Ballenberg building is ready for the winter break. These activities are grouped together under the term “winterisation”. These wide-ranging tasks primarily facilitate the protection of cultural heritage and are an important part of a museum’s work.
Ballenberg Train
Accessible, convenient and user-friendly – the new Ballenberg train makes the museum more accessible than ever before. It connects the museum grounds from east to west and back and stops at three stations along the way.
Discover a piece of Switzerland and its traditions in a unique way with our new Ballenberg Train or book an exclusive group tour.
The Swiss Open-Air Museum is getting a schoolhouse – Construction diary schoolhouse Unterheid
Visitors to Ballenberg this season will be able to see the almost finished shell of the schoolhouse relocated from Unterheid, near Meiringen (Bern), at the construction site. Reconstruction is progressing rapidly, although bricklaying with pure lime mortar takes time.
Experience, celebrate, enjoy together
Shopping at the Swiss Open-Air Museum Ballenberg
At the Brienzwiler and Hofstetten Entrances and in the grounds of the museum itself, you can purchase a wide range of products from the Swiss Open-Air Museum, including food and handicrafts.
Support the Open-Air Museum
Hands-on interaction, play and fun are all encouraged at our museum
All you need for planning your visit
Ballenberg
Swiss Open-Air Museum
Museumsstrasse 100
CH-3858 Hofstetten bei Brienz
Opening hours Administration
3 November 2025 to 8 April 2026
From Monday to Friday
8.30 am to 11.30 am
1.30 pm to 4.30 pm
Opening hours
9 April to 1 November 2026
10 am to 5 pm daily
