Austrian Open Air Museum Stübing

The Austrian Open-Air Museum Stübing is located in the Enzenbachgraben, a small side valley of the Mur River, about 10 kilometers northwest of Graz, the capital of Styria.The Enzenbach river acts as the dividing line between the market town of Deutschfeistritz, situated in the Kleinstübing district, and Gratwein, which is a district within the market town of Gratwein-Straßengel.The museum holds a prominent position as one of Europe’s most significant central open-air museums. The organization is responsible for the preservation, research, and sharing of Austria’s historical rural culture throughout the entire federal territory. The collection of 103 objects holds great importance.It is a founding member of the Association of European Open Air Museums, which is affiliated with the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

The museum grounds cover an area of approximately 65 hectares and stretch for about 1.4 kilometers along the Enzenbach valley. The site features a collection of 103 objects, primarily consisting of farms. In addition to commercial, handicraft, and religious buildings, there are also inventories or household goods associated with each of them.The buildings come from all federal states of Austria, with the exception of Vienna, as well as from South Tyrol.This collection includes a combination of original historical buildings as well as replicas and reconstructions that closely resemble them. These structures possess great historical significance. However, since their original materials cannot be transferred, they have been recreated.The buildings span a period of six centuries in total.Dendrochronology has been employed by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences to ascertain the age of the granary near Großstübing, making it the oldest fully intact structure on record. The granary has been determined to have been built in the year 1452.

The original buildings were carefully measured at their original location, and then they were dismantled and meticulously rebuilt in Stübing. The process is commonly known as translocation.If it was not possible to relocate the original building, a replica or reconstruction of the structure was created. This situation would frequently arise due to the presence of monument protection regulations, the sudden personal interests of the owner, the inadequate preservation of the building, or other factors. The reconstruction process utilized a diverse range of sources, such as historical pictorial materials, written and oral traditions, and descriptions.