The Outre Forêt Rural Life Centre

An 18th-century farm

Situated in the heart of the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park, the Maison Rurale de l’Outre-Forêt (rural life centre) is an ancient farmhouse dating from the early 18th century. Today converted into a museum, it enables visitors to discover what rural life was like in northern Alsace from the 1920s to the 1950s, at a time of great social change.

Rural life in the early 20th century

Accurately recreating the rural atmosphere of the early 20th century, this site provides visitors with an opportunity to discover how wheat was once cultivated and how milk was skimmed and pasteurised in times gone by. You can learn all about the tools used by cobblers, saddlers/upholsterers, blacksmiths, wine growers, joiners and clogmakers. In addition to the main farm building and its various outbuildings, the site also comprises craftsman's workshops, an educational garden, a traditional contruction clay preparation area and a vintage classroom from the 1930s. Offering an authentic portrayal of daily, family, social and religious life from another era, the Maison Rurale also proposes a number of entertainment features and temporary exhibitions throughout the year.