731 – Restaurant «Degen» from Hünenberg ZG, 1891
It is said that the house was bought and disassembled in Canton Lucerne, transported to Hünenberg and re-erected on the site of Peter Degen’s burned-down pub.
Early Inn
When the houses of Hünenberg were inventoried in 1798 there were among them three restaurants and two seasonal wineries. One pub was the “Degen” of “Peter Dägen im Dorf”. The Degen family had immigrated from the region of Basle and kept the pub until 1879. Four years later it burned down.
Eight Years Time Out
The site of the 1883 fire stayed unused until 1891, when after eight years interruption a new building was erected: the Degen restaurant you see here. It is said that the house was bought and disassembled in Canton Lucerne, transported to Hünenberg and re-erected on the site of Peter Degen’s burned-down pub. The new restaurant is supposed to have been built in this way – it was in fact cheaper then to dismantle, transport and re-erect than to build anew. Buildings were sometimes relocated. Dendrochronology (study of tree rings) confirmed the oral account: the wood of the Degen restaurant comes from the years 1837–1842. The plan of the house is that of a dwelling house.
Biedermeier Fashion
The village restaurant built in Hünenberg in 1891 has a form older than its date, namely the Biedermeier mode of the 1840’s. The facade and the interior now carry the colours found in relicts to be the original ones. The calm elegance of the serving buffet in the blue dining room and the white tile stove are noteworthy, both originals from the 19th century.
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
