OUTDOOR MUSEUM OBERLIENZ

The Outdoor Museum in Oberlienz features an array of historic buildings, all of which are located at the heart of the village and along the banks of the River Schleinitzbach, which flows down from the mountains and eventually joins the River Isel. The museum gives visitors a glimpse of how life used to be in this region close to Lienz.

At the beginning of the trail, you will see a washing and threshing room, which until the early 1950s was used to roast and thresh flax. In the water-powered mill, which is driven by an undershot paddle wheel, washed wool passes through wooden rollers and iron pins and is prepared for spinning.

Fruit and potatoes used to be stored on the floor of the small granary, along with products from the fields and gardens, and barrels of cabbage. Above, there was a two-storey grain warehouse for the whole village. Thick walls and open hatches made it possible for smoked meat to be kept all year round.

The grain mill of the Znopp farm is also part of the open-air museum. This was used to grind grains and make them into animal feed.

In the blacksmith’s and farrier’s workshop, the large hammer is also powered by a water wheel, and a sophisticated system controls the air supply to the bellows.