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Themed days

On selected weekends during the season, our themed days invite you to immerse yourself in exciting craftsmanship and special themed worlds. Come by and rediscover traditional craftsmanship.

Ein Gruppenausflug in das Freilichtmuseum Ballenberg: Lernen Sie in der historischen Küche aus Villard-Bramard wie vor vielen Jahren gekocht wurde.

Thementage 2026

22 / 23 August - Hand broom making
5 September - Bernatone Alphorn Gathering
5 / 6 September - Bottles in straw: reconstruction of an ancient craft
26 / 27 September- Preserving Sauerkraut
17 / 18 October - Preserving Sauerkraut
24 October - Unwinding, from cocoon to silk thread

The themed days take place in various buildings across the Swiss Open-Air Museum. Details can be found in the daily schedule.

22 / 23 August – Hand broom making

Traditional straw hand brooms are approximately 30 cm long and are made by plaiting a special grass. They were commonly used in rural households to clean hearths, shine shoes, brush away snow or sweep corners. This simple household object would be made by the farmer’s wife. Today, the Ballenberg team will demonstrate the traditional plaiting techniques.

Location: Farmhouse from Tentlingen, FR (511) from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm

Im Freilichtmuseum Ballenberg wird das traditionelle Handwerk Halmbesenbinden gezeigt.

5 September – Bernatone Alphorn Gathering

Tradition meets innovation: at the Bernatone Alphorn Gathering, new compositions are performed in addition to well-loved traditional alphorn melodies. The one-day alphorn course is aimed at players of all levels and takes place at various locations in the Swiss Open-Air Museum.

More information:

From 4 pm, the individual course groups, along with the entire orchestra, will be inviting guests to a concert at the Public Works Barn from Aarau AG (695).

5 / 6 September – Bottles in straw: reconstruction of an ancient craft

Until the late 19th century, protective covers for bottles were made of three intertwined coils of straw and sewn by hand. Later, braided and padded baskets made of willow-rods replaced this technique, and gradually the version made of straw fell out of use. The Ballenberg team is reviving this traditional straw craft and using it in the restoration of damaged historical straw bottles from the Ballenberg buildings.

Location: Farmhouse from Tentlingen, FR (511) from 1.00 pm to 4.30 pm

26 / 27 September & 17 / 18 October – Preserving Sauerkraut

At Ballenberg, at the start of autumn, the cooking team ferments a large pot of sauerkraut and look after it for 8 weeks. At the end of the season, this sauerkraut is ready and cooked for our guests in a historical kitchen. Our visitors have the opportunity to make their own sauerkraut.

Sauerkraut is a type of preservation technique in which food is preserved by means of lactic acid fermentation. Sauerkraut is not a vegetable as such, but is produced from white cabbage or cabbage. This vegetable with its long shelf-life and known worldwide for thousands of years, is the result of a natural fermentation process and salt.

Location: Farmhouse from Tentlingen, FR (511)

Auf dem Ballenberg wird zu Beginn des Herbstes ein grosser Topf Sauerkraut von unserem Kochteam eingemacht.

24 October – Unwinding, from cocoon to silk thread

The precious silk thread is created from the cocoons acquired here. Watch how the silk thread is cleverly unwound from the cocoons and turned into shiny thread material. During unwinding, steaming hot water is used to dissolve the silk glue produced by the caterpillar and expose the thread, which is up to three kilometres long – sweaty, high-precision work.