Ortsmuseum Gaiserwald

About the museum

The building in St. Josefen was erected in 1681 as the parsonage of the St. Josefen branch church, built in 1661, and belonged to the Catholic parish of Abtwil-St. Josefen until 1908. After a larger church with its own parsonage was built in Abtwil, the building changed owners several times and was used as a residence. In 1982 the Municipality of Gaiserwald acquired the property and converted it in several stages between 1986 and 2008 into today's Ortsmuseum, which opened in 1994.

The exhibition traces the history and everyday life of the three villages of St. Josefen, Abtwil and Engelburg. In the basement and on the ground floor the focus is the municipality, church and religious life, including a pulpit from 1664 and liturgical objects from the former church. The second floor shows the villages then and now, with a relief of the municipality, geology, peat cutting in the Gründenmoos and relations with the city and the Princely Abbey of St. Gallen; the civil wedding room is also located there.

The third floor centers on crafts, agriculture and forestry, food, rationing during the Second World War, textile work and a schoolroom. The fourth floor is devoted to leisure, the fire brigade, the military, clubs, children's toys, and kitchen and household a hundred years ago. On each floor, playback devices present interviews with well-known personalities from Gaiserwald.

Highlights

• Old parsonage from 1681 as the museum building
• Pulpit from 1664 and liturgical objects of the former St. Josefen church
• Relief model of the municipality at a scale of 1:5000
• Schoolroom, crafts and household from earlier times
• Interviews with personalities from Gaiserwald at playback stations

Permanent exhibition

• Gaiserwald: drei Dörfer – eine Gemeinde – Village and everyday history of St. Josefen, Abtwil and Engelburg across four floors: church and popular piety, crafts, agriculture, school, clubs and household.

Founded

1994

Operated by

Gemeinde Gaiserwald

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission free.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

According to museums.ch, the museum offers at least one programme for families or children.

Getting there & parking

According to museums.ch, the museum can be reached by public transport.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Weddings / ceremonies

The municipality's civil wedding room is housed in the museum; information on civil weddings is provided by the Municipality of Gaiserwald.

Plan your visit