School programmes
On the guided tours, children and young people can deepen their skills, knowledge and awareness of a theme from the pre-industrial era.
All ages – On the move at Ballenberg
Our museum guides are known for their ability to breathe life into the area. The tour focuses on the rural way of life in past times. There is a lot to tell about the erstwhile home decor, about the characteristic architecture of the various regions of Switzerland, about the crafts, about the daily work in the home and on the farm, about cultural traditions, about gardening and animal husbandry.
Cycles 2 & 3: 12 - 16 years – Guided tour with activities
In this package, the students get a general overview of the Open-Air Museum Ballenberg. At various stations we provide information about the historic buildings and their furnishings. Participants learn about the tasks and working life of the former residents at the activity stations. Here, they get hands-on experience in, e.g. whittling, sawing, shingling, carding, spinning or winnowing.
Cycles 2 & 3: 8 - 16 years – On the craft trail
In the workshops of the Open-Air Museum Ballenberg, many old crafts are still actively practised today: basketwork, forging, braiding, spinning, weaving and carving are only some of the many crafts demonstrated daily. In the school programme, students compare current and historical living and working conditions. They examine handcrafted products and try out almost forgotten techniques and skills.
Cycles 1 & 2: 4 - 12 years – Life without plug sockets
The children examine the everyday life of a farming family 150 years ago while rambling through Ballenberg. How does light get into the rooms and why do the sausages hang in smoke? How does unwashed wool feel before it is carded, spun and knitted? Using our senses and with pause for thought, we take time to make a trip into an era without electricity, but with muscle power, imagination and lots of firewood.
Cycles 1 & 2: 7 – 12 years – Stylus, sponge and slate
Some students today would surely be pleased if they did not have to go to school every day. But what if there were no school at all, or if there was one but you were not allowed to attend? Before 1900 it was far from self-evident that all children went to school. The programme shows how boys and girls lived in the past, what work they did and what they played with. On the way to the historical classroom the groups visit different houses, later they experience lessons according to the old-fashioned way.
Cycles 1 & 2: 7 – 12 years – Off to the alp
What exactly is life on the alp like? Even today, summer is still the most strenuous time of the year for the farming families. Down on the farm the hay is made for the winter. Up on the alp the cows eat the fresh grass. In this programme the pupils learn a lot about the everyday life of dairymaids and dairymen and about the most important work on the alps. They will also try out for themselves how to make butter and cheese from milk.
Cycle 2 & 3: 10 – 16 years – Houses – as diverse as Switzerland itself!
Each region of Switzerland has its own characteristic architecture, a traditional way of construction that still characterises the villages and hamlets today. This is immediately apparent at Ballenberg. But back then, what techniques did people use to build their houses? In this programme, the children learn which craft skills were in demand. They learn what a shingle maker can do – a craft that has almost disappeared today – or how fired limestone is used to create a compound for building walls. Everyone has to help when it comes to moving a trunk without a crane.
Ballenberg
Swiss Open-Air Museum
Museumsstrasse 100
CH-3858 Hofstetten bei Brienz
Opening hours Administration
3 November 2025 to 8 April 2026
From Monday to Friday
8.30 am to 11.30 am
1.30 pm to 4.30 pm
Opening hours
9 April to 1 November 2026
10 am to 5 pm daily
