Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum Vogtsbauernhof

About the museum

The museum was initiated by Hermann Schilli, a Freiburg architect and former head of the carpentry trade school. He wanted to save Black Forest houses threatened with demolition and preserve them as examples of rural architecture. Restoration of the Vogtsbauernhof began in 1963, and the open-air museum opened to visitors in 1964.

The heart of the complex is the Vogtsbauernhof that gives the museum its name, a Gutach-style house built in 1612 and the only farm building in the museum still standing on its original site. Around it, farmhouses from different parts of the Black Forest were gradually dismantled and faithfully reconstructed, such as the Hippenseppenhof from Furtwangen (1599), the Lorenzenhof from Oberwolfach (1608) and the Falkenhof from the Dreisam Valley (1737).

After the founding phase under Schilli, Dieter Kauß developed the museum on a scholarly basis from 1981. Since the 2000s the grounds have been expanded and modernized: the late medieval Schlössle von Effringen was added in 2018, and in 2023 the Ortenauhaus, a half-timbered winegrower's house from Durbach dating from 1775, where a new permanent exhibition on the Ortenau region opened in 2026.

Today the site of about seven hectares comprises six farmsteads, a day laborer's house and a retirement cottage, as well as around 15 outbuildings such as mills, sawmills, granaries and a hammer forge, plus farm gardens and animals of old breeds. The museum is run by the Ortenaukreis district; with around 200,000 visitors per season, it is one of the most visited open-air museums in Germany.

Highlights

• Vogtsbauernhof from 1612 on its original site
• Six historic Black Forest farmhouses from different regions
• Water-powered mills, sawmills, a hammer forge and an oil mill
• Craft demonstrations, e.g., cooking in the smoke kitchen
• Old livestock breeds and farm gardens
• Adventure playground and family programs

Permanent exhibitions

• WWW – Welt zwischen Wald und Wein – Permanent exhibition in the Ortenauhaus on the cultural landscape between the Rhine plain and the Black Forest, where forestry, fruit growing and winemaking shaped people's lives. The centerpiece is the interactive landscape model "Forum Ortenau" with projections.
• Historische Schwarzwaldhöfe und Nebengebäude – A tour of six farmsteads from various Black Forest regions with furnished parlors, smoke kitchens and stables, as well as mills, sawmills and granaries.

Founded

1963

Operated by

Ortenaukreis (Eigenbetrieb)

Director

Margit Langer

Visitors per year

approx. 200,000 (2025)

Admission & discounts

The Museumspass and SchwarzwaldCard are accepted; guest cards and the LandesFamilienpass (state family pass) are not. Discount possible with a train ticket. Online, only vouchers for day admission or annual passes are available, to be exchanged at the ticket desk. Payment in cash, by debit card (EC) or credit card.

Accessibility

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

Some paths are graveled; many historic buildings can only be reached over thresholds, steps or steep barn ramps (15–20% gradient). Accessible restrooms in the entrance building, in the Hermann-Schilli-Haus (elevator; closed for construction in 2026) and in the Ortenauhaus. Detailed overview of the accessibility of each building on the website; website information in Easy Language and sign language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

Open workshop for families on theme days and public holidays, a daily holiday program during the Baden-Württemberg school holidays, and children's birthday parties. Lots of farm animals, a cowbell organ and other hands-on stations; adventure playground with picnic meadow at the Falkenhof. Baby changing tables in the accessible restrooms (entrance building, Hermann-Schilli-Haus, Ortenauhaus). Some paths are graveled, and not all buildings are accessible with a stroller.

Getting there & parking

For navigation, use "77793 Gutach, Wählerbrücke" – not Gutach im Breisgau. Located on the B33 between Hausach and Gutach (Schwarzwaldbahn); motorcyclists can lock up clothing and helmets in the entrance area.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant

Museum restaurant Hofengel in the entrance building (9:00–18:00), kiosk at the Falkenhof (11:00–17:00) by the adventure playground, Ortenauer Winzerstube wine tavern at the Ortenauhaus (11:30–17:30); picnic meadow. Dogs allowed on a leash.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 20 guests.

Civil weddings conducted by the municipality of Gutach in the historic parlor of the Vogtsbauernhof for the couple and around 20 guests (register with the Gutach registry office). No other rental options are listed.

Plan your visit