How did the farmers once live in Franconia?

Rural idyll in the open-air museum Bad Windsheim

Rural idyll as it used to look like in Franconia. This shows the open-air museum Bad Windsheim. The Farmers' Museum with its farmhouses is located on the outskirts of the Franconian health resort not far from Rothenburg od Tauber Franken. There is something museum-like about the farms presented here Bavaria but not at. Rather the opposite. Those who come here hike from village to village. You will learn how the lives of farmers in Franconia have changed over the centuries.

Inn in the open air museum Bad Windsheim — Inn in the outdoor museum Bad Windsheim

Fancy country life?

Geese in the open air museum Bad Windsheim — geese

Of geese, cattle and pigs

Chattering, a goose swarm waddles through the Middle Ages village in search of food. Around the dovecote are dozens of birds. They make intermediate rest on the roof ridge of the farm. Then they try to get into the home built for them. In the farmhouse, in the midday heat, we encounter a flood of country air. A closer look reveals that humans and animals lived closer together in those times. Things look different in farms today. Here is the cattle shed attached to the farm. We have access from the living area to the stable, so that the smells and sounds from the stable area can enter unhindered into the living spaces.

Dovecote in the open air museum Bad Windsheim — dovecote

Book Bad Windsheimer accommodations here

Farm history in the open-air museum Bad Windsheim

In the Middle Ages, the life of the peasants in Franconia looked different than during the Thirty Years' War. However, there are also differences in the forms of farms from Franconia. Thus, the visitor walks through the museum grounds through the times of farming life as well as through the regions of Franconia. The farmhouses he sees on the way come from all regions. They were disassembled into their components and then faithfully built in the museum village. There are always new buildings added. So we meet again and again on buildings that are being prepared.

Fields and orchards

However, since the life of the farmers does not only take place on the farm, but also in the fields, not only buildings are reconstructed in the open air museum Bad Windsheim. Instead, it shows what the everyday life of the farmers looked like. What her job was. So we hike past meadows where the Heumanderl stand. They are waiting to be picked up by their owners. In between we pass orchards with apple trees. Their apples are already turning red and are tempting to pick.

Practical for your visit to the open air museum Bad Windsheim

hiking boots you need when visiting this museum. The paths are easy, but long.
We recommend one backpack take with you drinks, snack, a lunch box, a jacket and odds and ends. Then you can have a picnic in the orchard meadows.
With our hiking checklist you can check whether you have packed everything you need.

The peasant life of yesteryear

We watch a farmer cleaning his carp pond. Another tends his vegetable garden. A third harnesses his horses to take them to the field. We watch the women farmers collect herbs to dry. There is always something new to discover. Finally, after our walk in the village wine tavern, we take a break with a currant juice spritzer. The tap of the tavern on the beer garden table behind us crows at full speed. His hens that romp around under our table are hardly impressed by it.

Worth knowing about the open-air museum Bad Windsheim

The Fränkische Freilandmuseum Bad Windsheim is located on the Eisweiherweg 1, 91438 Bad Windsheim, Tel. 09841 66800. It is a destination for a weekend trip. Take time for the visit. It's worth it if you do not just want to look at the buildings from the outside. On the way there is a wine tavern, a beer garden in which Beer from Bad Windsheim served, and a restaurant (the latter two at the entrance to the museum grounds). There we have Franconian specialties enjoyed.

Franconian open-air museum
Ice Lake Trail 1
91438 Bad Windsheim
Telephone: 09841 / 6680-0
Fax: 09841 / 6680-99
E-Mail: info (at) freilandmuseum.de
Open Air Museum Bad Windsheim

Do you like to travel by motorhome?

Do you want to rent a motorhome? Then you will find information and a selection in these booking options here. Rent a motorhome or a camper near you here. Or would you prefer to stay overnight in a roof tent on the car? Also the overnight stay in camping tents is possible.
Check our packing list for campers to see whether you have packed everything for your motorhome tour.
Near Bad Windsheim is the See Camping Obernzenn, Urphertshofer Str. 17, 91619 Obernzenn. But there are other campsites near Bad Windsheim. There you can after a day trip in a Dutch Oven or on the portable grill or maybe on a campfire . You can also find Dutch oven accessories here.
Practical accessories for the mobile home you can also find here.
Why is a folding e-bike useful when camping?

Travel Arrangements:

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

Arrival to the Bad Windsheim open-air museum:

Book yours here Arrival by plane, bus or train*. The nearest airport is Nuremberg (60 km). You can rent a car there. It is best to enter “Bernhard-Bickert-Weg” in the navigation device. It is also possible to arrive by train: Timetable and booking*