Ötztal Open Air Museum

The Ötztaler Heimat- und Freilichtmuseum, which opened in 1979 in Längenfeld, Austria, is a small open-air museum. In the museum, there are two historic farms with outbuildings that have been preserved, as well as various technical structures lined up along a mill stream. The museum was funded by the Ötztaler Heimatverein, which was amalgamated into the Ötztaler Museum GmbH on January 1, 2019.

The major structure of the museum is a 17th-century middle hall house that has been preserved and was occupied until 1966. It is furnished in the early 1900s style. There is also a room for special exhibitions on the top floor.In front of this is an oven that is commonly used throughout the summer. In 1618, a barn with a stable was built and relocated from Oberried behind the main house. A 1500-person post office rounds off the ensemble. These storehouses were always located away from the courtyard, so that in the event of a fire, the most vital supplies would not be imperiled.

Schmiedla’s house, which is directly above the main structure, was bought by the Ötztal local history association in 2005 and refurbished for the museum. The home was revealed to be extraordinarily ancient, and Gothic components were unearthed.It now contributes to the preservation of the Ötztal’s spiritual and cultural history as a memorial remembering.The project’s other purpose is to build a well-populated, user-friendly database that responds to all search choices.The project is currently under construction (2017), with the primary purpose of processing the existing supply.

Below the waterfall lies Am Lehnbach, and above the museum complex is a portion with sawmills, mills, and flax processing facilities.

The most basic construction is a Venetian saw. It has been on the Lehnbach stream since 1827, but it might have been on the other side of the valley before then. The nearby log house was occupied until 1965 and depicts the deplorable living circumstances of some valley residents.

The following structure, the Pluil, is an automated flax crusher relocated from Unterried.The Schwinghütte represents the next stage of flax processing. The swinging was done using water power rather than by hand, which is rare, and the swing house is also the last of its kind in Ötztal. Between these two structures, a grain mill from Zwieselstein near Sölden may still be discovered.