Annual Theme 2025: Biodiversity – Ballenberg in Bloom!
Discover and experience nature at its purest at the Swiss Open-Air Museum
An unforgettable day out at one with nature at the Swiss Open-Air Museum
Without its green fields and meadows, flowering farm gardens and invigorating forests, Ballenberg wouldn’t quite be as idyllic. In 2025, Ballenberg will make the diversity of nature even more visible and experienced. Ballenberg will be in bloom! An exciting 2025 Ballenberg season, dedicated to biodiversity, awaits you. An inspirational, educational and entertaining plant world that’s sure to delight!
Experience nature: biodiversity at the Open-Air Museum
Along the 10 km Discovery Trail, much more than historical architecture, traditional craftsmanship and farm animals await you. We present, via nine discovery stations, the diversity of life and how this connects to the countryside and building culture. Learn how nature and humans have been interacting for centuries and how landscape management can promote biodiversity.
Discovery Trail stations
- Giving Insects a Head Start
By mowing late and leaving uncut refuge strips, meadows remain a valuable habitat. - Colourful Companions for the Grain
An experiment: cereals grow in harmony with biodiversity and enhance soil fertility. - Blossoming and Buzzing from Spring to Autumn
A formerly species-poor meadow and Benjes hedge become a valuable habitat for many animals. - Creating and Allowing Niches
Diverse structures provide habitats for a range of flora and fauna. - Stony and Dry? A Paradise!
The poorer the soil, the greater the variety of flora and fauna that live here. - Live and Let Grow
Traditionally built dwellings provide habitats for flora and fauna. - An Ancient “Residence”
Large, solitary trees are valuable, versatile habitats. - Living Fences
Hedges provide food, shelter and nesting sites for many animals and act as natural windbreaks. - More Life among the Vines
Verdant vineyards provide a habitat for plants, reptiles and insects, while protecting the soil from erosion.
At each station, visitors can participate in our work to preserve our habitats. Visit our Open-Air Museum and discover how valuable these habitats are to nature and people!
The stations were developed in cooperation with the Biodiversity Forum of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) to ensure an unforgettable experience full of learning and inspiration.
Swiss history, sustainability and biodiversity at the Open-Air Museum
Immerse yourself in the rich diversity of nature and discover the fascinating flora and cultural landscape at the Swiss Open-Air Museum. Along the 10 km Discovery Trail, much more than historical architecture, traditional craftsmanship and farm animals await you in 2025. You can look forward to a lively, enchanting floral world, a feast for the senses that’ll touch the heart of every nature lover.
We’ve long been passionate about maintaining cottage gardens and landscapes, always with a focus on sustainable agriculture. Our approaches combine extensive cultivation with regenerative methods and measures to promote biodiversity – this allows us to create the perfect balance between tradition and nature and ensure a sustainable future.
A study conducted by the Swiss Biodiversity Forum in summer 2023 showed that biodiversity at Ballenberg is already impressive. At the same time, the site has enormous potential to expand this further, thus making a valuable contribution to nature conservation.
Plan your trip to the Swiss Open-Air Museum now
Experience Ballenberg in full bloom in 2025! Let nature and the Swiss Open-Air Museum’s historical treasures inspire you and enjoy a day surrounded by Swiss history, flowers, plants and biodiversity. A day out that’s not only good for the soul, but that’ll without doubt also inspire you to make a significant contribution to preserving our environment.
Swiss Biodiversity Forum
The Swiss Biodiversity Forum is a national scientific platform that contributes to preserving biodiversity and its services in Switzerland in the long term. It promotes the scientific basis for understanding biodiversity and provides the latest scientific findings and options for action in the field of biodiversity conservation and promotion for the political and public debate in Switzerland. For this purpose, the Forum strengthens the dialogue between science, administration, nature conservation practice, business, politics and the public.
The Biodiversity Forum is part of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), which is committed to a sustainable society and science.
Ballenberg
Swiss Open-Air Museum
Museumsstrasse 100
CH-3858 Hofstetten bei Brienz
Opening hours
10 April to 2 November 2025
10 am to 5 pm daily
