Join in – do it yourself

What is strictly forbidden in other museums is allowed at Ballenberg. In the house from Oberentfelden (221) which has been furnished with specially chosen historical items, everything can be touched and tried. There is plenty to do both inside the house and outside whatever the season. Our guests are warmly invited to join in, ask questions, watch – the choice is yours. The "hands-on-house" can be enjoyed daily from 10.15 am till 16.30 pm.

The hobby workshop in the Dwelling from Matten, Berne (1021) invites you to do-it-yourself. The hand plane is used to work on wooden surfaces, joints and edges. You can try this tool at the workbench  and take your piece of wood with you. On the second table there are materials that have been found, are off-cuts or collected for recycling which are ready to be used for handicrafts. Find ideas on site in the sketch book. You can also record your project in the book for other visitors.

Over the summer, farmers send their cattle to alpine meadows. This expansion of the pasture areas makes it possible to keep more animals in the valley and to stock up on cheese and hay for the winter. In addition, the alpine herbs make for a particularly “strong” milk – and thus an aromatic cheese.

Would you like to lend a hand? Grab a milking chair and test your skills on a wooden cow in Champatsch (1312). You can gain further insights into the diversity of Alpine traditions at the premises of the cheese-maker in Kandersteg (1361), where the fine Mutschli cheese is produced, and at the Cheese Storehouse from Wasen (352).

How did people dress 100 years ago? How does it feel to wear a cheese-maker’s shirt or traditional breeches? How does your voice sound through the “Betruf-Trichter” (Alpine prayer-call funnel)? And how heavy do the cheese wheels feel on your back?

Bats use many buildings at Ballenberg as resting places. They have also long been an integral part of the attic of the dwelling from Sachseln (711) – which is why the Enchanted Forest in the cellar of this house is dedicated to them. In the dark cellar and the atmospheric areas of the Enchanted Forest, young and old can learn exciting facts about the lives of bats.

You can watch a colony of lesser horseshoe bats live on the screen. Children have the chance to experience a change of perspective in two interactive spaces: they will be fascinated to discover how it feels to sleep upside down like a bat, and what Ballenberg actually looks like when it’s upside down.

Brandboden is all about fire – discovering it, understanding it, taking action. It is also important to learn how to extinguish it! Visitors can help extinguish a fire by using a bucket pump and giving it their all. Working together as a team is more effective than doing it alone.

Important instructions: fill a bucket with water, then aim the nozzle and pump vigorously. The fire is extinguished when the bell rings. Well done – bravo!