Toggenburger Schmiede-und Werkzeugmuseum

Description

In Toggenburg, in the village of Bazenheid, the Toggenburger Schmiede- und Werkzeugmuseum Bazenheid preserves traditional craftsmanship and the history of regional tool production.

The museum was founded in 1981 and is located in the Canton of St. Gallen (Switzerland). Its roots go back to a forge established in 1924 by Rupert Meier. This workshop early on specialised in high-quality tools, above all axes, and supplied tools for forestry, agriculture and roofing throughout Switzerland. After the founder suffered a stroke, his son Rupert, at the age of 22, took over the business and responded to the rise of the chainsaw with a restructuring; it was during this period that the so-called Olma‑Heuspaten was developed and a specialisation in chain links emerged. A small exhibition on the occasion of Bazenheid’s 1,200th anniversary in 1981, supplemented by the family history, formed the starting point for the collection. In the 1990s the collection continued to grow, and in 1993 the municipality of Kirchberg supported the Handwerkspanorama by providing a barn. After the owner’s death in 2009, the Monument Preservation Office of the Canton of St. Gallen and the municipality devised a concept and carried out an inventory of the holdings. On 3 May 2012 a non-profit foundation took over the property and collection; an association was entrusted with running the museum (founded 9 June 2012).

Across roughly 3,000 square metres the collection includes a complete, operational smithy in which demonstration smithing takes place on special occasions. The holdings include the so-called Walliser Hammerwerk from 1891, acquired in 1994 from the Technorama in Winterthur; a water-driven cam shaft made from a 7-metre larch trunk powers three heavy tilt hammers. In the Handwerkspanorama the ground floor displays about 300 hand-forged tools as well as a presentation of various types of blacksmithing. The upper floors present around 20 trades, including roofers, turners, Gürtler, coopers, butchers, shoemakers and carpenters; in the attic exhibitions on milling and agriculture complement the presentation. The family and company history of the Meier tool forge is an integral part of the exhibition. The building also provides a common room on the ground floor. The museum furthermore regularly organises public events that bring the craft to life.