Gerersdorf open-air museum marks 50 years with 36 buildings

The Ensemble Gerersdorf open-air museum has marked its 50th anniversary, ORF reported. It opened in 1976 with six buildings and now comprises 36 historic structures.

Viennese graphic artist Gerhard Kisser discovered the almost vanished rural architecture of southern Burgenland in the early 1970s, including its thatched roofs and timber construction. He dismantled old houses from the Güssing, Oberwart and Jennersdorf districts and rebuilt them on a property in what is now Gerersdorf-Sulz.

The ensemble offers a view of rural life in the Pannonian region over the past three centuries. “It was my life’s work, and I am sure I would do it again,” Kisser said. “After 50 years, the museum is finally being accepted.”

The open-air museum also hosts concerts, readings and exhibitions. Works by Kisser are currently on display, and a book about the ensemble was published in time for the anniversary. The museum is open daily until the end of October.