Ötztaler Heimat- und Freilichtmuseum

About the museum

In the Längenfeld district of Lehn, one of the last almost unchanged village centres of the Ötztal has been preserved. The properties lie side by side largely without fences, and important communal places such as the bread oven and the fountain used to be shared by several families. When the centuries-old houses no longer met modern living standards at the end of the 1960s, the Ötztal Local History Association acquired the first buildings and converted them into a museum.

Today the ensemble of numerous historic buildings documents the everyday and economic history of farming life in the valley. It mainly displays everyday objects as well as farming and craft tools; several buildings explain the processes involved in producing wool, linen, bread and butter. The museum garden grows crops that were once important, including Ötztal flax, the sale of which was an important side income for many farming families until the 19th century.

The museum is a hands-on one: flax is grown and processed, the mill grinds grain, boards are cut in the sawmill, bread is baked in the oven and potatoes are harvested in the museum field. The museum is run together with the Turmmuseum Oetz and the Gedächtnisspeicher by the Ötztaler Museen; they were awarded the Austrian Museum Prize in 2021 and the Tyrolean Museum Prize in 2023.

Highlights

• Village centre with numerous historic farmhouses
• Working mill and sawmill
• Flax growing and processing of Ötztal linen
• Bread baking in the historic oven
• Collection of farming and craft tools
• Austrian Museum Prize 2021, Tyrolean Museum Prize 2023

Permanent exhibition

• Heimat- und Freilichtmuseum Lehn – Tour of the museum village with residential and farm buildings, mills, sawmill and garden, illustrating the mountain farming culture of the Ötztal.

Founded

1979

Operated by

Ötztaler Museen GmbH (gemeinnützig)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

The admission price is freely chosen: at the entrance there is a box for an amount of your own choosing.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The listed buildings are only partly accessible: the museum is reached via a ramp, but the ticket desk, shop and toilet only via two steps; there are no paved paths, no lifts and often narrow, low doors. Plenty of seating; on the ground floor a film shows the entire museum. Assistance dogs are allowed everywhere. A new building with fewer barriers (Wastlshaus) is announced for 2028.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

Old working methods can be tried out yourself (baking bread, flax, mill, sawmill); tours and workshops are available for schools.

Getting there & parking

The museum is directly on the Ötztal cycle path; bicycle parking is available.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit