Freilichtmuseum: Open-air Museums in AustriaArticle by Nicole Rabitsch Open-air museums usually offer information about a certain area – normally about rural culture, folk customs and traditions. Most of them feature old farmhouses that were gathered in a province or area, destructed and re-built in a traditional setting.
The old farmhouses were then equipped with all the gimmicks you would expect from an Alpine 19th-or-so-century. Open-air museums were originally built after Austrians discovered their rural heritage in the early 20th century (this is also when urban Austrians started to wear “Tracht” or traditional clothing). These days, open-air museums are popular with both domestic visitors and international tourists. Therefore I’m going to give an overview of the most important open-air museums in Austria: BurgenlandFreilichtmuseum Bad Tatzmannsdorf CarinthiaFreilichtmuseum Maria Saal Lower AustriaMuseum für Urgeschichte, Asparn an der Zaya Upper AustriaFreilichtmuseum Stehrerhof, Neukirchen an der Vöckla SalzburgSalzburger Freilichtmuseum, Großgmain StyriaÖsterreichisches Freilichtmuseum, Stübing bei Graz TyrolÖtztaler Heimat- und Freilichtmuseum, Längenfeld Further ReadingCustoms & Traditions of Austria |
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