Sust Museum Horgen

About the museum

The Sust building on Lake Zurich is the oldest known house in Horgen: its oldest dated component, a timber felled in 1457, proves that it is over 500 years old. The city of Zurich bought it in 1527 and set up an official Sust there, a transshipment point and customs station in north-south trade. Ships brought wine, salt, cheese and iron; the Sust master weighed the goods and levied customs duties before pack-animal drivers carried them on via Sihlbrugg to Zug. With the end of internal customs duties in 1835 and the building of the railway, the house lost its function; in 1838 it passed to the municipality of Horgen.

The building later served as a school and residence and at times fell into serious disrepair. After Horgen's millennium celebration in 1952, a foundation for a local museum was established in 1954, and the museum opened in the Sust on 9 November 1957. Since 1968 the house has been protected as a cantonal heritage monument.

After extensive renovation in 2020/2021, the local museum was renamed Sust Museum Horgen and has again offered insights into the history of the municipality since 2022. Since August 2023 the permanent exhibition “Baugeschichte” (Building History) has led visitors through the construction and usage history of the house, with exposed “building history windows” in walls and ceilings. There are also changing exhibitions, weaving demonstrations and a puzzle trail around the Sust.

Highlights

• Oldest known building in Horgen (timber from 1457) on Lake Zurich
• Permanent exhibition “Baugeschichte” with exposed wall and ceiling windows
• Puzzle trail “Salz-Fall” with augmented-reality scenes outdoors
• Weaving demonstration “Weben am Laufmeter”
• Small museum café with terrace
• Free admission

Permanent exhibition

• Baugeschichte – The permanent exhibition tells the history of the Sust building from the Middle Ages to the present day; stelae and exposed wall and ceiling windows show structural changes.

Founded

1957

Operated by

Stiftung für das Ortsmuseum und die Chronik der Gemeinde Horgen (Gebäude: Gemeinde Horgen)

Director

Franziska Pfenninger (Museumsleiterin und Kuratorin)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free; donations are welcome.

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

The puzzle trail “Salz-Fall” is aimed at school classes and young audiences; workshops are available for school classes, and the café serves syrup for small guests.

Getting there & parking

Arriving by public transport, by bicycle or on foot is recommended (via Seegartenstrasse or Bahnhofstrasse and Dorfgasse).

Amenities & dining

• Café

Small museum café with a self-service capsule coffee machine, tea and syrup; in summer there are tables on the terrace. Four times a year the museum invites visitors to “Kafi mit den Kuratorinnen” (coffee with the curators).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 100 guests.

Meetings and workshops for up to 15 people, seminars and talks for up to 45 people, maximum 100 standing places; cultural and history-related events are preferred. Civil weddings can be arranged through the Horgen registry office.

Plan your visit