Freilichtmuseum Vorau
East Styrian open-air museum with around 20 relocated farmhouses, a mill, a smithy and a village school next to Vorau Abbey.
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About the museum
The Vorau open-air museum was founded in 1979 and is still run by the association Freilichtmuseum Vorau, which aims to preserve, document and communicate the rural culture and working world of East Styria. On the grounds not far from Vorau Abbey, farm buildings, mostly from the eastern Upper Styria region, were dismantled and rebuilt true to the original around a central square.
The collection includes almost twenty buildings from five centuries: a farmhouse, the Marotti smoke-room house of 1706, numerous outbuildings and field granaries, a mill, a smithy, a village school and several forestry workers' huts. They are furnished with fittings, equipment and tools.
The collections document trades that have become ever rarer, such as carpenters, joiners, coopers, cobblers, stove-makers, linen weavers, ropemakers, shingle-makers and printers. There are also a historic home medicine cabinet, surgical instruments from Vorau hospital and a fully furnished dentist's surgery. Since 2018 there has been a museum shop with products from direct marketers in the Joglland; the café is housed in an old farmhouse parlour. The association also organises Advent in the Museum.
Highlights
- Marotti smoke-room house of 1706
- Village school with classroom
- Smithy and mill
- Historic home medicine cabinet and dentist's surgery
- Craft stations from cobbler to printer
- Museum café in an old farmhouse parlour
Permanent exhibition
- Bäuerliche Kultur der Oststeiermark – Around twenty rebuilt buildings with furnishings, tools and craft stations, including a smoke-room house, mill, smithy and village school.
- Founded
- 1979
- Operated by
- Verein Freilichtmuseum Vorau
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5.50Pensioners |
| Children & teens | €2Children and school pupils aged 6 to 15; for school classes with a guided tour €3, with a guided tour and worksheet €4 per pupil. |
| Seniors | €5.50Pensioners |
| Groups (8+ people) | €5.50 per personPer person; group tour flat rate €25 for up to 20 people, larger groups are split. |
| Combination ticket adults (guided tour of Vorau Abbey and museum visit without a guided tour) | €13.50 |
| Combination ticket children (guided tour of Vorau Abbey and museum visit without a guided tour) | €7 |
Members of the association (annual fee €15, families €25) have free admission all year. The museum describes itself as a partner of the Steiermark Card and the GenussCard. Museum guide €5 in the shop.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
Worksheets for school classes and children's programmes; listed as family-friendly on the GenussCard portal.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Vorau Stift
Regional bus X30, X31 or 300 to Hartberg, then RegioBus 324 to Rohrbach-Vorau station and RegioBus 323 to Vorau Stift.
The museum is located next to the abbey cemetery of Vorau.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
Museum café in an old farmhouse parlour; museum shop with products from the Joglland.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Weddings / ceremonies
Up to 120 guests.
Civil wedding ceremonies from April to October (up to 120 people at the house well, in bad weather in parlours for up to 40 people); sparkling wine reception and Agape (light refreshments) possible in cooperation with the Kutscherwirt.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Group tours possible at any time on request (about 60 minutes according to the regional portal); worksheets for school classes, clipboards and pens free of charge. Registration by email or telephone. |
