Bauernhaus-Museum Wolfegg — Museumsfest

Bauernhaus-Museum Allgäu-Oberschwaben — Wolfegg

The Bauernhaus-Museum Allgäu-Oberschwaben in Wolfegg, Ravensburg district (AGS 08436), is one of the largest open-air museums in Southern Germany. Spread over 12 hectares, it features 28 historic farmhouses, stables, barns, and outbuildings, relocated from their original sites in the Allgäu and Upper Swabia regions — some dating back to the 17th century. The museum documents the region's rural life over four centuries: living, working, believing, and celebrating.

Museumsfest — The Day the Museum Comes Alive

Once a year — on Sunday, September 6, 2026 — the museum becomes the venue for a grand Museumsfest. Instead of static exhibits, visitors experience the farmsteads in full activity: traditional crafts are showcased — lacemaking, wood carving, flax breaking, basket weaving, batik dyeing, blacksmithing. The craftspeople work at authentically reconstructed workbenches before the visitors' eyes and are available for questions.

Folk Dance, Music, and Puppet Theater

Several stages are spread across the museum grounds:

• Medieval dances in historical costumes — performances at 10:30 AM and 3:00 PM
• Puppet theater for children — shows at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM
• Folk music — Allgäu brass bands, Stubenmusi (chamber music ensembles), alphorn blowers
• Carpenters of the guild in traditional attire — demonstration of woodworking (Schaubrich) on the reconstructed barn frame

The Barn's Topping-Out Ceremony (Richtkrone)

The highlight of the day is the festive topping-out ceremony (Richtkrone) for a new, authentically reconstructed barn — a traditional act celebrating the erection of the roof structure in the customary form. Carpenters in traditional dress, a topping-out speech in old Swabian dialect, the hanging of the decorated wreath — a piece of living cultural tradition that visitors can experience up close.

Swabian Specialties

Culinary offerings define the day: Dinnete (Upper Swabian thin pizza from a wood-fired oven), Maultaschen (Swabian ravioli), Zogenes Kiachla (regional fried pastry), fish specialties from Lake Constance, beer from Allgäu kegs, fresh apple juice from the press. A Swabian feast picnic amidst the farmhouses.

Admission and Folk Culture

Anyone arriving in traditional Allgäu attire (carpenters, farmers, traditional costume wearers) receives free admission — a tribute to all who uphold the folk culture of the region. Otherwise, regular museum admission applies. A day for the whole family, making the Bauernhaus-Museum a living place of Swabian-Allgäu folk culture.