Markus Wasmeier Freilichtmuseum Schliersee

On the edge of the Neuhaus district in the Upper Bavarian municipality of Schliersee stands the Markus Wasmeier Open-Air Museum, a private institution dedicated to preserving the rural building and everyday culture of the Bavarian Oberland.

The initiative originated from the impression made on the founder Markus Wasmeier by an open-air museum in Lillehammer; from this, in 1997 the association "Markus Wasmeier Bauernhof und Wintersportmuseum Schliersee e.V." was formed. After construction began in June 1999, the museum opened on 1 May 2007. The project began with three farmsteads, whose structural integrity was at risk, which were relocated to the site. Today the complex comprises more than 22 historic buildings across approximately 60,000 m²; visitor numbers rose from about 75,000 in 2008 to around 95,000 in 2010.

The collection presents various farm types and craft rooms: the Riederhof comes from Geitau and is a heritage-listed Einfirsthof preserved in a condition dating to around 1730. The Lukashof from Finsterwald near Gmund is one of the oldest surviving properties in the Tegernsee Valley; in the associated "Strommuseum" the electrification of Upper Bavaria is addressed, complemented by kitchens from the 1940s to the 1970s and the development of electrical household appliances. Zum Wofen, a large farmhouse from 1734 originally from Feldkirchen near Westerham, is a two-part property that historically served as farm, tavern, smithy and prison and today houses a historic Bierschöpf brewery. The Behamhof from Agatharied dates to around 1665. The Handwerkerhaus contains a distillery, smithy, carpentry workshop and cobbler’s workshop. The ensemble is completed by the newly built Heilig-Kreuz Chapel, consecrated in 2015, and the Wahlkaser, a Kasalm from the Gotzenalm in the Berchtesgadener Land.