Museum Appenzell is a local history museum in the village of Appenzell, Switzerland. It’s a great place to learn about the history of this village, which is surprisingly rich and eventful. Even the museum alone has existed in some way since the mid-18th century, while the building that houses it has been around since the 1500s.
And that’s just the beginning of fun facts about the Appenzell Museum. A trip to this hidden gem in Switzerland will allow you to learn more about the cultural and economic history of Appenzell, see some impressive archaeological finds, and also gain some insight into the popular everyday culture of the people of Appenzell!
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General Information
The Appenzell Museum is located at Hauptgasse 4, Appenzell, in the heart of the village, right next to the Parish Church of St. Mauritius. It’s easy to reach on foot from anywhere in Appenzell, and at most you’ll have to walk maybe 15 minutes to the museum. It’s less than a 5-minute walk from the main train station in the village to this museum.
Tickets for Museum Appenzell are very affordable and well worth the money. It’s only 7 CHF for a ticket for adults and kids who are accompanied by adults can enter the museum for free. The tickets are reduced to 5 CHF per person for groups of 10 or more people.
The museum is open every day of the week, but the opening hours are a bit different depending on the day. On Mondays, Thursdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays the museum is open from 10 AM to 12 PM and then again from 1:30 PM to 5 PM. On Tuesdays, the museum operates from 10 AM to 12 PM and from 1 PM to 5 PM. On Saturdays and Sundays, the Appenzell Museum is open from 11 AM until 5 PM.
History of the Museum Appenzell
Perhaps the most fascinating piece of information about this museum is that it was founded way back in 1879. The museum is situated in the house of Buherre Hanisef, while parts of the exhibit extend to the top floors of the town hall. Both those buildings were constructed in 1560, shortly after a devastating fire destroyed most of the village.
When the Appenzell Museum was initially founded it was in the former armory and functioned as the antiquity collection. An expansion of the village called for the museum collection to be relocated to the local castle in 1886. Then in 1966, a different museum (Heimatmuseum) moved to the town hall, and the building got completely renovated about three decades later. The museum then merged with the house of Buherre Hanisef to create what we today know as the Appenzell Museum.
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Highlights of the Museum Appenzell
This permanent collection of the museum is dedicated to the Catholic cultural history of the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden. The main focus of the exhibit is folk art from Appenzell, which includes everything from hand embroidery to examples of furniture painting. The museum exhibit offers insight into the culture and tradition of the people of this region, which is truly fascinating.
There are 30,000 objects in the museum’s permanent exhibit and it’s growing. They all reference the Appenzell region in a way and offer insight into the rural culture of this part of Switzerland. Various crafts are popular in Appenzell, and that’s why there’s always some type of craftsman or craftswoman at the museum. You can ask them for additional information on their specific craft, whether they’re a woodworker, a seamstress, a painter, or anything else!
In addition to the museum’s permanent collection, museum visitors will also get access to any temporary and special exhibitions that are taking place at the Appenzell Museum. For the majority of 2023, museum visitors will get the opportunity to see an exhibit on mice, which features everything from a mouse trap that dates back to the 20th century to a photograph of a cat carrying a mouse.
How To Get There
The easiest way to reach the Appenzell museum is on foot if you’re already staying in the village. The museum is centrally located in Appenzell; it’s right between the Church of St. Mauritius and the Rathaus, which are two very popular tourist attractions in the village.
Additionally, the museum is less than five minutes away from the train station in Appenzell, so if you’re arriving from a different village or a city nearby, you can easily just walk from the train station to the museum.
It’s also possible to reach the museum by bus if you’re traveling from further away. Bus line 191 stops at Adlerplatz, which is just a few minutes away from the museum. But unless you’re traveling from further away in the village, there’s really no need to take the bus since it’s just a short, scenic walk away from most of Appenzell.
Courtesy of Wikimedia for the image header.
