Bajuwarengehöft Mattsee

The Bajuwarengehöft Mattsee stands beside Mattsee lake in the village of Mattsee, half an hour east of Salzburg. It is a reconstruction of a seventh-century Bavarian farmstead, built for the 1988 joint state exhibition by Bavaria and Salzburg. After the exhibition the site was abandoned until 2008, when the non-profit group Menschenwerk took it over and now keeps it alive. The farmstead consists of seven timber buildings arranged around a central yard. The main house houses a nature and culture workshop where visitors can see displays on early Bavarian life. Another building is the Werkladn, a small shop selling handmade regional crafts. A tiny separate hut contains a wood-fired oven used for baking bread, and willow wattle raised beds line the front of the huts. From October to June the yard is home to a small flock of sheep. Visitors walk along a lakeside path to reach the farmstead, passing reed beds and water meadows. Inside the workshop they can handle replica tools and try simple crafts. The Werkladn sells wool spun on site, herbal teas and wooden spoons carved by local makers. In winter the sheep huddle in the sheltered yard while visitors warm themselves by the oven. The whole place feels like a quiet corner of the 7th century, brought back to life beside the still waters of Mattsee.