Wood carving
Wood carving was a source of income for generations of families in the Bernese Oberland. In its heyday in the second half of the 19th century around 2,000 people were occupied as wood carvers. They made souvenirs such as wild and domestic animals and human figures - all of which found a ready market throughout the world - but also things for everyday use. The Brienz School of Woodcarving, which still trains wood carvers today, was founded in 1884
The workshop of the Stähli brothers
The Ballenberg Open-Air Museum houses the former workshop of the brothers Alfred (1882-1972) and Hans Stähli (1887-1979) in the Dwelling from Brienz BE (1031). Alfred Stähli was one of the best wood carvers in Brienz; the eagles he carved were renowned far and wide. Hans Stähli specialized in the carving of bears. At first the brothers did everything themselves, from felling the trees to varnishing the finished carving. Later on they purchased the necessary wood.
Wood carving today
Modern-day wood carvers have equipped a new workshop alongside the old one of the Stähli brothers, and here they demonstrate how the tradition of wood carving has withstood the test of time. However as Walter Zeier, who occasionally carves in the museum points out, time has not stood still in this field. In addition to the traditional old wood carving knives and chisels, modern equipment such as band saws and copy milling machines are also used. Nevertheless the basic skills and requirements have scarcely altered: wood carvers need a good spatial sense and a knowledge of anatomy, particularly when it comes to creating a unique, one-off piece. For the creation of these unique pieces, preliminary drawings and plaster models have to be made prior to the actual carving.
Craftsmen bring life into the workshop
On selected days during the season, the Huggler Holzbildhauerei AG in Brienz will re-locate to the museum workshop where it will continue to carve its current commissions. Various wood carvers take it in turn to work there and bring life into the workshop. A wide range of modern wood carving products is to be seen in the display cabinets on the walls. Animals, men and women in costumes, and crib figures are still sold today. They are usually produced in series. The outline figures are produced by the milling machine, but it is the wood carvers who carve out the surface area and give each figure its own, individual shape. To carve one of these figures requires between 15 and 20 different chisels.
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
