The wood-cutters museum in Bad Goisern at Lake Hallstatt not only shows its visitors in the old so-called “Holzknechtstube” how the wood farmhands had lived and worked, it also explains the enormous importance of the raw material wood for the Salzkammergut.

The wood-cutters museum

An old Salzkammergut so-called “Holzknechtstube”, the “Dürrenholzstube”, was removed in the Weißenbachtal in 1977 and repositioned by the Bad Goisern hometown club in the Müllnerwäldchen of Bad Goisern, close to the city center. The building made of round wood in which the workers had their bed, the so-called "Grat", is now a museum.
 
It was furnished with old equipment and tools and illustrates with pictures and other objects the arduous and dangerous work as well as the deprived life of the wood farmhands, far away from romantic clichés.
 
However, the museum not only shows how the wood farmhands lived and worked, it also explains the enormous importance of the raw material wood for the Salzkammergut and shows the great role that forestry had and has for this region.
 
Until today events in the wood-cutters museum takes place for example to the "Goiserer Gamsjagatage". On these festive days, the famous “Holzknechtnocken” are prepared with love by the ladies of the traditional “Goldhauben” community. Then it smokes again like it did back then from the time-honored "Rauchkuchel".

The wood farmhands

Since the approach routes were far too long, the wood farmhands had to start walking to the high-altitude workplaces on Sunday afternoon. The wood farmhands lived and worked away from their family in the so-called “Holzknechtstuben” in the forest during the working week.
 
The spartan wood farmhands had their food supplies for the entire working week with them. This usually consisted of flour, lard and bacon. At the large open fireplaces, everyone cooked their own strong, high-calorie dishes such as “Holzknechtnocken” and other strong dishes from lard.

Learn more about the traditional food, the crafts and customs of the Holiday Region Dachstein Salzkammergut.

Experience a 360° panorama tour through Bad Goisern at Lake Hallstatt…