Maison Suisse à Wimmenau et Conservatoire du patrimoine rural des Vosges du Nord

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Located in the centre of the village, the patrimonial complex comprises a 17th - 18th century half-timbered house, a 19th century forge and outbuildings housing an oil-mill and collections of artefacts.The village was levelled during the Thirty Years' War (except for the 12th - 13th century bell-tower). Mid-17th century, it was settled by Swiss immigrants from the Bern area (Allenbach, Scherer). The latter built the half-timbered house in 1669. It was altered in 1718 and 1800.The house is divided by a partition wall. The façade bears two moralizing inscriptions. The building was restored to its original state, with the dark-colored sandstone door- and window- frames, the clay or sandstone intervening sections with a black border, the gray-stained wooden skeleton. Archeological evidence has been preserved.One of the outbuildings houses an oil mill in operation until the mid-20th century, producing rape- or nut-oil. It was entirely restored by the association. The wooden drive is very ingenious and most interesting.The members of the association have been collecting and preserving artefacts connected with rural life: tractors, agricultural machinery, craftsmen's and loggers' tools, furniture and objects used daily by the people and traditions.