621 – Farmhouse
Such an old building is rare for the eastern reaches of the Swiss Midlands: most of the wood was felled in 1568 and the house was built in 1569–1570.
Border Crossings
The multipurpose buildings of the Swiss Eastern Midlands exhibit features from neighbouring countries: their arrangement and construction have parallels north of the Lake of Constance or in the knee of the Rhine. Such is the case in this Uesslingen farm. Furthermore, this house also illustrates the transition from timber frame construction with morticed beam or plank infilling to half-timber construction with wattle and daub infilling – both building technologies stand side by side here. Such an old building is rare for the eastern reaches of the Swiss Midlands: most of the wood was felled in 1568 and the house was built in 1569–1570.
From Wine Press to Oil Press
In 1606 the building was lengthened by a quarter: an addition was integrated into the eastern side of the building and a wine press was installed there. Today there is an oil press from the region of Unterstammheim in Canton Zurich in its place. The oil press was in service until the 1940’s. It pressed nuts and seeds to reap walnut oil, rapeseed oil and poppyseed oil.
Manifold House History
In 1743 the farm was the property of the Ittingen monastery three kilometres (two miles) away. The building originally comprised a stall, a threshing floor and a dwelling. The occupants were probably initially orchard farmers and vintners, since the stall and barn are rather skimpy. Later, grain cultivation gained ground, as did cottage weaving. The local family Haag lived in the house subsequent to the 1740’s. The gendarme Bernhard Hug married a daughter of the family Haag in 1878 and the “Haag house” became the “Hugen house”. After 1961 the house was empty and was to be torn down in 1976 to make way for overland high voltage transmission lines.
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
