About us
Facts and numbers about the Open Air Museum Vogtsbauernhof.

The Black Forest Open Air Museum is a forum for the entire Black Forest region. It carries out research projects and explores the cultural heritage and development of all rural areas in the Black Forest. In addition, the museum collects and preserves for the future important cultural assets from the Black Forest to ensure that the people of the region and visitors can access and experience these collections. In this way, the Open Air Museum contributes to the promotion and preservation of the region's cultural identity.
Governing authority | District of Ortenau |
Size | 7 acre |
Foundation:
1963 | Beginning of restoration of Vogtsbauernhof farmstead |
Development:
1964 | Opening of Vogtsbauernhof farmstead and its outbuildings as a museum |
1966 | Opening of Hippenseppenhof farmstead and its outbuildings |
1972 | Opening of Lorenzenhof farmstead |
1980 | Opening of Hotzenwald farmstead |
1982 | Opening of Schauinsland farmstead |
1996 | Museum is transformed into an enterprise |
1999 | Opening of Falkenhof farmstead |
2002 | Opening of day labourer's cottage "Wirtstonis" |
2006 | Opening of the new Reception building |
2010 | Opening of the new Adventure playground |
2014 | Opening of the train station "Gutach Freilichtmuseum" |
2017 | Opening of the Hermann-Schilli-House |
2018 | Opening of the „Little castle from Effringen“ |
2019 | Opening of the Museum Educational Pavilion and the Water Play Area |
2020 | Introduction of the Vogtsbauernhof mobile app |
2021 | Project start to move a vineyard from Durbach |
With more than 220.000 visitors during its seven-month season, the museum is one of the most visited open-air museums in Germany and throughout Europe. The museum is a very important tourist attraction in the Black Forest. Since its opening, the museum has attracted over 16 million visitors.
- The only museum that collects important cultural assets of all Black Forest region:
- Six fully furnished Black Forest farm houses and one labourer’s cottage
- The 600-year-old “Little Castle from Effringen” is one of the oldest buildings in a German open-air museum
- The “Hermann Schilli” house (built in 1980) with its modern lecture room and a permanent exhibition on the lifestyle of the 1980s
- A number of outbuildings including storage houses, chapels, grain and sawmills as well as boundary stones and wayside shrines
- Typical gardens and traditional livestock (e.g. horses, cows, pigs and goats)
- Experience the inner workings of mills, different trades and crafts, a workshop for families as well as other exciting activities
- A wide range of tours for groups, school and kindergarten children
- 70% from Germany
- 30% from foreign countries (Netherlands, USA, France, Italy, Spain, Israel)
Year-round: | 15 |
During the season: | around 50 |
The Open Air Museum offers a very varied programme with general guided tours, educational learning experiences (for kindergartens, schools and youth groups), entertaining and informative museum discovery activities and science-based special interest tours (for adult groups).
All programms