Museum Laufental

About the museum

Since 1977 the Museum Laufental has been located on Helye-Platz in Laufen's old town, in the town's former schoolhouse. Across four floors, it shows objects from the history of the entire Laufental, which sets it apart from classic local history museums that often cover only a single village. It is run by an association of about 400 members, supported by the town of Laufen and the canton of Basel-Landschaft; each year the team also develops a special exhibition.

The collection spans from prehistory to the 20th century. In the annex, the fossil collection of Laufen resident Peter Borer, with around 2,000 pieces from the Jurassic sea, is on view. The prehistory section displays finds up to 15,000 years old from the Carl Lüdin collection and a reconstruction of the roughly 8,000-year-old “oldest Swiss woman” from the Birsmatten Basisgrotte. Finds from the Roman estate at Laufen-Müschhag, a 19th-century middle-class living room, workshops of a cooper and a shoemaker, paintings by August Cueni, and religious figures round out the tour.

The archive is a special feature: the Schaltenbrand photo collection, with tens of thousands of images, documents the Laufental from about 1910 to 1965 and can be explored on mobile multi-touch screens. A separate section covers the Laufental's change of canton from Bern to Basel-Landschaft at the beginning of 1994.

Highlights

• Peter Borer fossil collection with around 2,000 pieces from the Jurassic sea
• Prehistory with the “oldest Swiss woman” (reconstruction) and finds from the Carl Lüdin collection
• Finds from the Roman estate at Laufen-Müschhag
• Schaltenbrand photo collection on interactive multi-touch screens
• “From Bern to Baselland” section on the 1994 change of canton
• Paintings by August Cueni, the important painter of the Laufental

Permanent exhibitions

• Fossilien – The annex houses the fossil collection of Peter Borer, assembled over more than forty years, with ammonites, sea urchins, and corals from the Jurassic sea.
• Urgeschichte – Stone Age tools and hunting weapons from the Carl Lüdin collection, plus a reconstruction of the “oldest Swiss woman,” found in a grotto near Nenzlingen.
• Die Römer im Laufental – Finds from the Roman estate at Laufen-Müschhag, including pottery, coins, and a bronze statue of Jupiter, with a reconstruction of the estate.

Founded

1977

Operated by

Museumsverein Laufental

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free; a voluntary donation at the exit supports the museum.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

According to the museum, the fossil collection presents the exhibits and their time in a playful way.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum grows its own Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) above the Laufen hospital, which is sold directly at the museum; publications on regional history are also available for purchase there.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit