The verger’s barn was the outbuilding of the former verger’s benefice. The small farm served to provide the verger and his family with a livelihood. Four or five cows could be kept. In the course of the last extensive church renovation in 2000, the parish sold the verger’s barn to the municipality. Through the cooperation of the municipality with the Werkraum Bregenzerwald project, the definitive opportunity is now given for concrete learning through the renovation and restoration of an old building. Senior master craftsmen show old craftsmanship techniques directly on the building and ensure that they will not be forgotten. At the same time a space for traditional craftsmanship activities is created. The workshop for learning comes into being.
 

Rebuilding was started on 3 March 2004. The demolition work was carried out by the building firms of Berchtold and Holzbau Forcher. To be able to retain the old structural fabric, the demolition work had to be carried out with great sensitivity. Support and anchorage had to be undertaken to avoid a collapse. Only the skeleton remained standing within the shortest possible time.

A concrete shell was erected to counteract earth pressure or water penetration. The appearance of the ground floor was then returned to its original state by means of an expertly constructed stone wall. Before insulation and covering the roof was begun, various beams of the roof truss had to be renewed. A foil was first laid with the under boarding, then followed the counterlaths. An about 10cm-thick insulating layer between the counterlaths, and then a timber shell was affixed. The exterior wall was as perfectly insulated and soundproofed as the roof.

The remarkable aspect of the silver fir is that the entire exterior panelling was undertaken with this timber. The poorer quality was also used. Silver fir of a finer quality was used for the interior joinery, such as the bathroom units and the stairway construction and some parts of the furniture. The flooring is also special. It is of rough-sawn silver fir and it was ensured that the wood was cut across the annual rings. The closely set annual rings give the wood additional high stability. The flooring is untreated because only an untreated floor has the natural characteristic for self cleaning. If the floor becomes dirty a disassembly of the dust particles takes place when drying, which can generally be removed with an ordinary vacuum cleaner. Despite excessive use, wet cleaning takes place only once or twice yearly. The builder-owner is happy to offer you further information.

The municipality of Alberschwende, in close cooperation with the Werkraum Bregenzerwald project, carried out workshops with the verger’s barn. A special target was to gather the experience of craftsmen and planners who still master the old craftsmanship tradition and to develop workshops for the future. Thus through practical examples, handed-down craftsmanship could be taught and realised.

In this way old craftsmanship was made a theme already at the creation of the building. This is also seen in the concept of use. Craftsmanship in the Bregenzerwald had developed from agriculture and secondary agricultural activity. Not only during the time of the Bregenzerwald Baroque building masters, work was also subsequently undertaken in the building trade next to farming. Agricultural implements or products for the building trade were produced, and means of transport were manufactured in the farmyard workshops. Thus craftsmanship in the Bregenzerwald originated in the small agricultural subsidiary enterprises. This is to be documented for the region in the verger’s barn.

In the basement of the Museum of Agricultural Implements, and in the room for multiple uses, an exhibition focused on handed-down craftsmanship is to be brought into comparison with the techniques and methods of today. In this way the visitor will be made aware of the enormous development and the capacity of current craftsmanship. The focused exhibitions always take place in the autumn, with a different focal theme each year. A specialist library will be arranged in which old literature specifically concerned with timber construction, as well as current publications, will be found in addition to the exhibition.

Visitors are invited to consult the literature. The aim is to prevent old craftsmanship techniques from being forgotten, and on the contrary to be able to reinterpret them for the future. The library contains the largest collection to the theme of timber construction in Vorarlberg. A number of out-of-print books could be obtained from auctions. But the room on the upper floor in the verger’s barn is also used for other cultural purposes. The smaller local cultural activities are to be made vital here. As for the building, the events will be administrated by the Kulturmeile Alberschwende Association. The Cultural Mile organisational platform has developed following the renovation of the verger’s barn and enjoys great support.

Exterior viewing is possible at all times, interior viewing requires advance notice.