Evangelisches Museum Oberösterreich

About the museum

The idea of presenting the little-known history of Protestantism in Upper Austria in a museum of its own took concrete shape in 1991 under Superintendent Hansjörg Eichmeyer. The chosen site was the old Protestant school of Rutzenmoos near Regau, which, together with the church and the parsonage, forms a self-contained ensemble from the era of toleration and had become vacant after a new primary school was built.

The newly founded association "Evangelisches Museum Oberösterreich" had the school building converted from the end of 1995; the project was funded by the Province of Upper Austria, the Protestant parishes, the church leadership, the municipality of Regau and numerous donors. The museum opened on 16 September 2000. To this day it is run largely by volunteers.

The permanent exhibition is laid out as a circuit: after a multimedia show, the route leads from Luther's Reformation through the heyday of the Protestant nobility, with figures such as Johannes Kepler, to the Counter-Reformation, the Peasants' War and the life of the secret Protestants. The Patent of Toleration issued by Joseph II in 1781, the Protestant Act of 1861 and Protestant life up to the present day form further stations; a small school museum recalls the building's earlier use.

In 2016 the museum received the Upper Austrian Folk Culture Promotion Award, and it holds the Austrian Museum Seal of Quality, most recently renewed in October 2024.

Highlights

• Multimedia show on the roots of the Reformation
• Lutheran "Landhausbibel" of 1574
• Secret Protestants' farmhouse parlour with Bible hiding places
• Room on Joseph II's Patent of Toleration
• Tree of life on Protestant life today
• Small school museum in the former classroom

Permanent exhibition

• Geschichte der Evangelischen in Oberösterreich – A circuit from the Reformation through the Counter-Reformation and secret Protestantism to the Patent of Toleration and the Protestant Church of the present day.

Founded

2000

Operated by

Verein Evangelisches Museum Oberösterreich

Director

Renate Bauinger

Admission & discounts

Under the "School and Museum" programme of the Province of Upper Austria, half of the bus fare is covered for compulsory-school classes and confirmation groups (prior registration with the Province required); pupils pay admission and the guided-tour ticket themselves.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

A lift gives access to the whole building, including for visitors with limited mobility.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 12+

For school classes the museum recommends a visit from about age 12; in the reconstructed farmhouse parlour, visitors can search for hidden Bibles.

Getting there & parking

Rutzenmoos belongs to the municipality of Regau and lies about 2 km from the Regau motorway exit (A1).

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop run as a branch of the "Bücherinsel" of the Diakoniewerk Gallneukirchen, with books, cards and crafts.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit