The large areas of woodland contribute enormously to the rural charm of the Open-Air Museum. The aim of the Forestry Museum Association is to provide information about the importance of forests including their upkeep and uses. It also works towards making people more aware of the diverse possibilities there are for using produce obtained from the woods.
The Forest Museum Association, which was founded in 1992, has carried out several projects to inform visitors to the Museum about the topic "woods". Some examples are the permanent exhibition "The world of our forests" in the dwelling from Sachseln OW (711), and the nature trail "Trees and bushes". It is widely known that houses can be built out of spruce wood. But who knows the plant woodbine whose twigs were once used for brooms, or buckthorn the charcoal of which is still today used to produce high-quality gunpowder? You can read about these and much more on 50 illustrated boards along the nature trail.
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