711 – Dwelling

Anonymous Wealthy Owner

According to dendrochronological results (tree ring research), this, for its time generous, dwelling house was built between 1594 and 1601. The owner must have been a wealthy farmer, but there are no records of him or his family. Two storeys of living space in squared timber construction stand on a masonry cellar foundation. A gently sloping shingle roof weighted down with laths and stones covers the building. It is a typical Central Midlands Swiss farmhouse – similar to the house from Matten from the Bernese Ober[1]land (1021).

Urban Models

By the 1850’s at the latest, the dwelling house of the farm “z Moos” between Sachseln and Flüeli-Ranft was given a new suit of clothes. Joseph von Moos (1794–1866) came from modest circumstances, worked hard, married well and advanced to town councillor and judge. In 1850 he became a councillor of Canton Obwald. He probably had the house renovated according to his social standing: a steep, more urbane roof replaced the flatter one. Porch roofs and gable rooflets, shingling on the walls and a new external chimney rounded off the outside alterations.

The inside alterations were also considerable: the smoke kitchen with its open hearth fi replace disappeared. Instead, a dairy room with milk and cheese cellar was installed in the basement. First the family von Moos and then from 1911 to 1949 the family Omlin operated a dairy here.