Join in – do it yourself
In more than one hundred historic buildings visitors to Ballenberg can look around as the fancy takes them, and get an idea of what life was like in years gone by. Discover now our versatile activities to join in.
Come in, have a go, touch and enjoy!
What is strictly forbidden in other museums is allowed at Ballenberg. In the house from Oberentfelden (221) which has been furnished with specially chosen historical items, everything can be touched and tried. There is plenty to do both inside the house and outside whatever the season. Our guests are warmly invited to join in, ask questions, watch – the choice is yours. The "hands-on-house" can be enjoyed daily from 10.15 am till 16.30 pm.
Churn butter and bake "Bretzeli" biscuits
The kitchens at Ballenberg are busy hubs, full of people baking and crafting delicious treats. Here, guests can experiment with all kinds of techniques and try things out for themselves under the watchful guidance of experienced staff. Enjoy your very own bread and butter or learn how to bake wafer-thin "Bretzeli" biscuits.
Planing and woodwork
The hobby workshop in the Dwelling from Matten, Berne (1021) invites you to do-it-yourself. The hand plane is used to work on wooden surfaces, joints and edges. You can try this tool at the workbench and take your piece of wood with you. On the second table there are materials that have been found, are off-cuts or collected for recycling which are ready to be used for handicrafts. Find ideas on site in the sketch book. You can also record your project in the book for other visitors.
Fun and games as in the good old days!
What was it like in the past? What games did children play? What toys were available? All these questions can be answered in the granary from Wellhausen (622). Here, our youngest guests have the chance to get to know the games their ancestors played. They can walk on stilts, ride a hobbyhorse or skilfully twirl the hula-hoop. These and many more activities can be enjoyed and sometimes even our adult visitors participate in games which bring back childhood memories. Come along with your family and have a go – every day from 10 am till 5 pm. Let the past come to life in an amusing and entertaining way.
Discovering textile crafts
Sewing using a machine but zero electricity – is that possible? Come and try it out for yourself in the vintner’s house from Richterswil, Zurich (611). Cottage industries were a vital source of additional income for large sections of the rural population. Individual family members and sometimes entire families would work as spinners, weavers, embroiderers and seamstresses at home and later in factories. They worked for an employer who delivered the materials and later collected the finished products. Aprons and shirts are examples of goods that were sewn. Experience this process up close and have a go yourself in the vintner’s house from Richterswil.
Covering a tiled roof
Do you know how a tiled roof is covered and renewed? Since two years now, young and old visitors of the Open-Air Museum Ballenberg have been fabricating plain tiles. The finished tiles can be installed by you at the Péry tilery BE (141) to form a finished roof. Stop by and help us cover the roof!
Enchanted Forest
An elf and his helpers meet at the edge of the woods. They are the principle figures in the exhibition "Enchanted Forest" and lead the children from one theme to another. The exhibition offers children numerous interactive elements where they can experience and explore the enchanted forest with all their senses.
See daily schedule – Discover the world of the silkworm
Did you know that the cocoon of the silkworm consists of a silk thread that’s three kilometres long? In the space of just 30 days, the tiny little silkworm matures into a caterpillar measuring up to nine centimetres long. It then spins itself into a cocoon by turning over 250,000 times.
Discover this and other fascinating facts when you visit our silk workshop in the Farmstead from Novazzano (851), where children and their parents can get creative together and design their own silkworms using threads, yarn and fabric scraps. They can then take these little works of art home as a souvenir or add them to our caterpillar family up on display in the workshop. This experience offers an exciting insight into the world of the silkworm.
Ballenberg
Swiss Open-Air Museum
Museumsstrasse 100
CH-3858 Hofstetten bei Brienz
Opening hours
10 April to 2 November 2025
10 am to 5 pm daily
Annual holiday from 20 December 2024 to 5 January 2025
