The original idea of combining all rural crafts and trades in a single group of buildings has been dropped over the past years in favour of decentralised exhibitions. Today, small industrial buildings, workshops and crafts demonstrations are distributed all over the grounds of the Museum. Thus, the watermill-driven trades are found at the mill pond in building group 6 (Nos. 691, 692, 694) and in building group 10 it is possible to watch pottery being made and metal forged (Nos. 1051, 1052). The craftsmanship involved in the forest industry is shown in the rural crafts and trades building group 4. An overview of all the handcrafts which are demonstrated in the Museum can be found on the notice boards at both entrances.

490 Forest clearing:
• Charcoal burning
• Lime burning
• Resin extraction
• Shingle splitting


Forests and woodgathering
At the exhibition site devoted to rural trades, different methods of using wood from the past can be observed. It is not historical buildings which are on display here, rather
historical technology and reconstructed equipment and furnishings.

Wood was the raw material in the pre-industrial age. The need for wood was often so great that laws and regulations had to be put into place to protect the forests. Already in the 14th century, an increasing number of forest regulations can be seen. At home, wood was used to cook and heat. Wood used in construction, shingling, wallpieces, furniture and decoration made it ubiquitous in and around the house. In industry, the absence of wood as an energy source was for many centuries unthinkable. It was used to produce charcoal, lime and resin. Wood was used in great measure in farming to make fencing, wagons and tools. More-over, cows, goats, sheep and pigs had to search for additional food in the forest.
When the population grew at the same time as energy intensive industries like glass and iron production grew in importance, whole alpine valleys were completely depleted of wood. Erosion and floods were the consequences of this rape of nature.The intentional retimbering of forests and the development of alternative resources led, how-ever, to a sustainable recovery of the wooded areas. In the upper two floors of the house from Sachseln OW (No. 711) can be found the exhibition “The Forest – Our World”. It offers further insight into the close, often conflicted relationship between humans and the forest. The discovery walk “Waldweide und Holzhieb” (not available in English), which can be picked up at the ticket offices, also shows how strongly the forest with its natural gifts influenced the construction techniques and interiors of the houses as well as the nourishment of humans and livestock.

Lime burning
Until the beginning of the 20th century, burned and slaked lime was the most important bonding agent in the production of lime mortar, lime plaster and whitewash. In preparation for the burning, the lime stones are stacked in the combustion chamber. Then the furnace is heated up gradually during one day before the top is covered with loam to prevent too much heat form escaping. Thereafter, the temperature of the burning limestone is increased up to about 1000°C within a period of three days. Once the highest layer begins to glow, the fire has to be maintained at a constant temperature for approximately 20 hours. The quicklime (the cooled stones) cannot be stored in its dry state, because it absorbs air humidity and disintegrates. It there-fore has to be slaked. A container with water is poured over it so that the stones dissolve. Then the “doughy” mixture is mixed about in the lime sump, where it is stored until being used.

Charcoal burning
At the rural trades exhibition site we demonstrate the production of fountain troughs and shingles, as well as the production of lime. There is no doubt, however, that it is charcoal burning which arouses the most interest. Every July, charcoal is produced in the museum. Up to one hundred kilograms charcoal can be produced from one stere beechwood. Logs are artfully stacked around a standing pole. Then a layer of leaves is piled on top of it. On top of that comes a coating of mud and charcoal residuals. The filling hole created by removing the pole is covered with glowing charcoal which transmits its glow to the stere. The charring, which works its way downwards, can be controlled by opening or closing the smoke coverings in the stere cover. After ten to fourteen days of constant tending, the wood is fully charred into charcoal.

Resin extraction
From time immemorial, resin has been an important and versatile raw material. A glowing branch which had been drenched in resin was one of the original light sources. It was a sought after material used for gluing and sealing in shipbuilding, barrel-making and shoemaking.
To extract the resin, highly resinous wood is piled onto an iron grid, which has been placed above a collecting basin buried in the ground. The wood is covered with an inverted metal bell. A fire is lit around the outside to give enough heat to convert the resin into fluid. It then flows into a channel and finally drips into a container where it cools and sets. Various products are obtained depending on the different degrees of liquefaction and cooling stages. Resinous tar (“Teergalle”) is used in tanneries, while resinous pine wood oil (“Kien-öl”) is suitable for lubricating wagon wheels. The wood left over from the metal bell is very similar to charcoal.

Rural crafts
Nearly all the workshops in the Museum date from the 19th century. The individual techniques and activities from this period are also well-documented. Additionally, craftsmen who have preserved and cultivated their traditions, contribute inestimably to the revival of their trades both inside and outside the Museum.
For the 19th century, occupations can basically be divided into those exercised on a professional basis and those carried on as a side job. Trades practised as a main occupation were generally located in small towns and villages with fixed installations and characteristic buildings such as mills, smithies and coach-builder’s workshops.
Other occupations, such as those of joiner, shoemaker or butcher, were exercised on a part-time basis by farmers. They often travelled with their tools from farm to farm offering their services.
Trades are dependent on each other and form chains of production. The door-to-door thresher is followed by the miller, and the miller by the baker. The character of traditional dress is determined by the weaver, the dyer, the tanner, the tailor and the shoemaker. Many occupations are related. The mason not only piles up stones but also hews them, and it is he that determines the outward appearance of a house by creating its facade. The occupations of potter and stove-fitter are combined.
In the 19th century a number of everyday household tasks became established as crafts and were developed into specialised trades. This change can clearly be seen in the baking trade, which only became established outside the towns after 1820. Before that time, farmwives baked their bread themselves.