Black Forest Open Air Museum

1612 farmhouse

We arrived the nearby Open Air Museum in Gutach about 10:30 and spent three hours in this marvelous and very informative complex.  Opened in 1964, it displays the rural life of the Black Forest over the past 400 years.  The centerpiece is the large farm house and attached barn built at this site in 1612.  Like many such homesteads, it is situated on a hillside with living quarters facing the valley and the backside built against the hill, providing easy access to the upper level barn where animal stalls were located. Outbuildings include the storehouse and bakery and distillery (see photos for more information).  


Detailed signage was in German, French and English, and our extensive guidebook filled in the gaps.  Several additional farm buildings, two sawmills, and other related structures each housing various exhibits, kept us busy and engaged.  The Black Forest area was remote and unsettled until the early 1600s except for occasional monasteries.  Farming was difficult in the hilly and thickly forested landscape, and lumbering supplemented incomes.  Inheritance laws required that farms be kept intact in order to remain a profitable size.  Interestingly, farms were passed down to the youngest son or eldest unmarried daughter.

Rob's evening walk along the Danube (see his photo caption)

We managed to hold off eating until 2, and found a convenient table for our picnic.  Then 2 hours of local twisty and always scenic roads, ending up at 5 pm in Hausach, almost where we started.  I was nodding off by then so Rob kindly (maybe to avoid my falling off the bike) stopped for coffee.  Had he earlier noticed the adjacent model train museum?


Then on to Furtwangen where we have found another pleasant hotel.  Rob is out walking while I write the blog.  Apparently the town is famous for the musical clocks made here from 1857 to 1896 by the Emilian Wehrle factory.  Those clocks are  prized by collectors today. There is a university here and a clock museum which we hope to visit tomorrow.