Zunftmuseum Bichlbach

About the museum

From 1694, Bichlbach in the Außerfern was the headquarters of the guild for the region's masons, stonemasons, carpenters, painters and plasterers. The trigger was an avalanche in 1689 in the Lähn district, after which parish priest Lukas Egger vowed to found a brotherhood and build a church. Emperor Leopold I permitted a guild of its own, whose members built the guild church of St. Josef in 1710–1712; it is today considered the only guild church in Austria.

The museum is located in the Alte Widum next to the parish church of St. Laurentius. The dilapidated building was renovated through countless hours of unpaid work; the idea of a museum arose in 2001, and the Zunftmuseum officially opened in 2006. From 2023 the municipality converted the building into an administrative office, which benefited the museum through additional storage space, an archive and a new communication room. The guild brotherhood has existed again since 1977 and offers guided tours.

The exhibition on the second floor shows guild chests, documents and seals, guild signs, guild poles, banners and old tools. Individual rooms are devoted to the guild system itself, to the carpenters with their patron saint Joseph, to the stonemasons and masons with models of the guild church, and to the painters, gilders and plasterers. A large map shows where the craftsmen from the Außerfern worked far and wide; puzzles such as the wooden puzzle make materials and techniques tangible. In 2015 the museum, together with the Museum im Grünen Haus in Reutte, received the Tyrolean Museum Prize.

Highlights

• Guild system of the Außerfern building tradesmen
• Guild chests, seals, guild poles and banners
• Models of the guild church of St. Josef
• Map of the craftsmen's migrant work
• Tyrolean Museum Prize 2015

Permanent exhibition

• Zunftmuseum – Dauerausstellung – Tour through rooms on the guild system, carpenters, stonemasons and masons, and painters, gilders and plasterers, with a guild chest, banners and tools.

Founded

2006

Operated by

Zunftbruderschaft St. Josef zu Bichlbach / Kulturrunde Bichlbach-Wengle-Lähn

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum is located in the Alte Widum next to the parish church of St. Laurentius; the guild church is about a five-minute walk away.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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