Altes Sölkner Wissen im Mesnerhaus

About the museum

The wooden sacristan's house next to the parish church of St. Nikolai in the Sölk valley was built around 1639. Over the centuries it served as the home of the sacristan's family, as an almshouse, toll station and village school, and remained inhabited until 1974. It then fell into disrepair until a village development association restored it from 1998, with a great deal of voluntary work and under heritage supervision; a local history museum then moved in.

In autumn 2025 the museum reopened under the title "Altes Sölkner Wissen" (Old Sölk Knowledge). For this purpose, the association for the preservation of the old knowledge of the Sölk valleys collected objects, photos, recipes, documents and eyewitness recordings together with the local population; the design was carried out by exhibition maker Michaela Fuchs ("Kulturfux"). The exhibition was funded as a Leader project and awarded the "Zukunftsgemeinde Steiermark 2025" prize.

On the ground floor are the parlour of Hans Posch, a musically gifted foundling, the large kitchen with a cookbook, a video installation and the church year of St. Nikolai, and a pantry with finds on regional history. The first floor is devoted to the "farmer doctor" Bruno Holzinger and his son Jakob, as well as folk medicine and plant knowledge. Play stations with a scent station, a flap game and a giant memory game invite visitors to join in.

Highlights

• Parlour of the musician Hans Posch
• Healing arts and ethnobotany around the "farmer doctor" Bruno Holzinger
• Large kitchen with customs through the year
• Scent station, flap game and memory game to join in
• Listed wooden house from 1639

Permanent exhibition

• Altes Sölkner Wissen – Multimedia exhibition on folk medicine, plant knowledge, music, culinary traditions and customs of the Sölk valleys, featuring the personalities Hans Posch and Bruno Holzinger.

Operated by

Verein zur Bewahrung des alten Wissens der Sölktäler

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free; voluntary donations are requested.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

Scent station with local aromas, a flap game on medicinal plants and a giant memory game.

Getting there & parking

The house stands in the centre of St. Nikolai right next to the parish church; access via the B320 (Enns valley) and the Sölkpass road L704.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit