Wood Workers Museum in Ruhpolding - From Days Past to the Present

The forest and man have belonged together for ages. They are, of course, unequal partners: From earliest times on, man was the beneficiary of what the forest offered. The forest supplied man with fuel, raw materials and tools, in the form of wood. The goal of our museum is to present the forest´s many uses throughout the ages.


Benefits to Mankind

The atmosphere of "days gone by" and "the present" is present everywhere: In the showcases, on the boards in the large exhibition rooms, as well as in the presentation of various methods of woodworking and transport of the timber from the mountains. Last but not least, the wood workers' way of life is presented.

Life-sized reproductions convey the visitor directly into the world of the wood workers and, at the same time, illustrate the use of his tools.

Buildings that helped in the transport of wood from the mountain forests down to the valleys are presented in accurate models and large photos, which emphasize the actual dimensions.

  

The technical developments up through today can be experienced vividly through many original machines and true-to-scale models. 

 
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One by one, various types of forestry huts and "Holzerstuben," which otherwise would have fallen apart, were transferred to the museum area of three hectares. Some of the buildings, like the "Loiten" and the "Riesen," and the main building with the exhibition pieces, are of new construction. The entry to the open area leads through the main building (1). The log cabin (2) is the former "Danzerhaus," a so-called "Söldnerhäusl" (peasant´s cottage). It was typical for wood workers who were also craftsmen. The path leads to the former "Plenker-Kaser" (3), which was used until 1978. It then leads past a simple shed, (4) a wood- or winter room (5) and finally to the most simple lodgings, the "Rindenkobel" a cottage made entirely of bark. (6) 
In the large "Bringungsstadel" (transport barn) (7) one finds sledges and various rope reel-systems. Apart from all that, one can see a charcoal kiln and various other buildings.
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