Bernhard-Haus

About the museum

In 1965 the writer Thomas Bernhard acquired a badly dilapidated four-sided farmstead from the early 14th century in Obernathal near Ohlsdorf, which was actually due to be demolished. Over about ten years he converted the property, preserving its proportions and architecture, into a secluded country estate that he envisioned as a place for thinking and writing. Many of the newly created rooms he never used; they arose solely from his pleasure in designing.

The conversion was closely linked to Bernhard’s early prose work: the building work, the landscape of the Traunviertel and the people there found their way into his texts. At the same time, the project reinforced his tendency to withdraw. Later, two further properties were added, the “Krucka” near Altmünster and the “Quirchtenhaus” in Ottnang, which he hardly lived in, however.

Since 1990 the house, with its unchanged and very personal furnishings, has been open to visitors. Bernhard had designed it, in a sense, as a theatre set; some props even recall objects from his plays. The house is looked after by the poet’s heir through the Thomas Bernhard Nachlassverwaltung GmbH, and on-site administration is in the hands of a family from neighbouring Traich.

Highlights

• Unchanged furnishings of the poet
• Rooms like a theatre set, with props from Bernhard’s plays
• Four-sided farmstead from the early 14th century
• Guided tours of the residence in the Traunviertel

Permanent exhibition

• Wohnhaus Thomas Bernhards – The four-sided farmstead with its unchanged furnishings shows the poet’s way of life and creative drive; some rooms look like a stage.

Founded

1990

Operated by

Thomas Bernhard Nachlassverwaltung GmbH

Admission & discounts

Contribution towards costs for the visit; free for members of the International Thomas Bernhard Society.

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Amenities & dining

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