Hofensemble Wurzerhof

Außervillgraten, Tyrol

ausstellungmuseumstour

Once, twenty to thirty craftsmen were employed at the Wurzerhof in the Winkeltal in the municipality of Außervillgraten. They made the tools they needed as foresters, carpenters, shoemakers or joiners themselves. These can be viewed on the ground floor of the main house, because the Leiter family, with the active help of the Heimatpflegeverein Villgraten (local heritage society), has set up a museum there. There is a small forge, a hearth, a baking oven, and a workshop with many tools and traditional craft objects from the region. The entire farmstead consists of a Einhof (combined house and stable) and several outbuildings such as a laundry room/Selche (smokehouse), chapel, grain mill and sawmill. Located on the Winkelbach, the Wurzerhof experienced a turbulent history. At regular intervals, there were storms, mudslides and floods, which partially destroyed the sawmill and grain mill, for example. But complaining was no use. They rolled up their sleeves, repaired, restored and even expanded the farm. This "perseverance" and "not giving up" has fostered an emotional bond between the people and their farm that has become rare. Veronika, Sepp and Elena Leiter live, work and reside in a museum. In their museum. With many exciting stories about the house and farm, the Leiter family conveys how beautiful and how hard the life of a mountain farming family in the Alps can sometimes be. During the museum season, the Wurzerhof open-air museum is open every Friday. Those who want to immerse themselves in rural life then and now can take part in a cultural-historical guided tour.