Museum Vaz/Obervaz

About the museum

The museum is housed in the old parish house of Zorten, where Capuchin friars served from 1663 to 1933. The foundation was laid in 1979 with the purchase of the old mill equipment from Zorten. In 1982 the political municipality of Vaz/Obervaz acquired the former Capuchin hospice, and a working group began planning a village museum; on August 28, 1985, the support association was founded. After the conversion of the parish house and Pfrundstall and the reconstruction of the mill, the “Museum local Vaz” first opened its doors in part on July 13, 1989.

In 2002, the artist Ferdinand Parpan, who works in Paris and is an honorary citizen of Vaz/Obervaz, gave his home municipality more than 100 works, which have been on display in the Galeria Sala Parpan since 2004. In 2019 the Sala Parpan and the entrance area were renovated, and the exhibition on the Barons of Vaz moved from Brienz to Zorten. Since 2020 the house has been called Museum Vaz/Obervaz; an additionally acquired stable has since served as a storage depot.

In the following years, new permanent exhibitions were added on a regular basis, including on the Barons of Vaz, on Lenzerheide past and present, “50 x Lenzerheide” with personalities, events and buildings, and on the bell founders of Obervaz. The exhibitions are spread across three floors in the hospice, the Galeria Parpan and the Pfrundstall. They tell of everyday life in earlier times, of the development of Lenzerheide from a Maiensäss settlement into a holiday region, of sport, customs and traditions, and show furnished workshops such as a smithy, a wheelwright's workshop and a weaving room. In the museum garden stands a retired gondola from the Lenzerheide mountain railways.

Highlights

• Old Capuchin hospice and parish house of Zorten with historic Stoiva
• Old village mill from Zorten, operated every year on Swiss Mill Day
• Smithy, wheelwright's workshop and weaving room
• Collection of the artist Ferdinand Parpan in the Galeria Sala Parpan
• Tourism and sports history of Lenzerheide, gondola No. 99 in the museum garden
• Detective puzzle and hands-on room for children

Permanent exhibitions

• Sammlung Ferdinand Parpan – Works by the artist Ferdinand Parpan, who works in Paris and gave his home municipality more than 100 objects.
• Alte Dorfmühle aus Zorten – The rebuilt mill in the Pfrundstall shows the path from grain to bread and runs every year on Swiss Mill Day.
• Lenzerheide gestern und heute – The development of Lenzerheide from a Maiensäss settlement into a summer and hiking region with a large ski area, supplemented by sports history and the photo series “50 x Lenzerheide.”

Founded

1989

Operated by

Verein Museum Vaz/Obervaz

Director

Birgit Parpan

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission for grandparents with grandchildren (up to age 16) on the first Wednesday of every month.

Free admission with ID for members and patrons of the association, holders of the Swiss Museum Pass and the Raiffeisen MemberPlus card, Graubünden hiking guides, ICOM and VMS members, and school classes from the Malix to Tiefencastel region. With the KulturLegi Graubünden, 50% reduction; children up to age 16 are admitted free. Under the Tandem-im-Museum-Haus (TiM) scheme, admission is granted to anyone who gives the museum a story. Payment by TWINT, credit card or cash.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

In the detective puzzle, children search for a missing object and get to know the museum along the way; whoever solves the case receives a surprise. In a separate room, objects from the past may be touched and tried out. There is also a craft activity, children's culture afternoons and monthly grandparent-grandchild days.

Getting there & parking

By car, drive from Lenzerheide toward Tiefencastel, turn right before the village exit toward Lain or Muldain/Zorten, and follow the main road to Zorten; the museum is after the church.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 50 guests.

Weddings in the historic Stoiva (up to 15 people) or in the Sala Parpan (up to 50 people); dates via the Regional Civil Registry Office Albula in Tiefencastel.

Plan your visit