Cham Brickworks Museum: A Hands-On Museum

Judging by their names, there are many “Ziegelhütten” in Switzerland. However, they have long since ceased to have anything to do with the old craft of handmade brickmaking; most of them are now restaurants—with one exception: the Ziegelhütte in Hagendorn (Cham). Here, the name still reflects what the place is all about. The complex of buildings, situated in a forest clearing between the Rainmatter and Lindenchamer forests, is now home to the Brickworks Museum and, with it, the only intact brickworks in German-speaking Switzerland. 

And it’s still in operation, though not commercially—since bricks are now manufactured industrially, that wouldn’t be profitable today, says museum director Jeanne Simmen. But as part of the museum’s operations, visitors can still see—and, above all, experience for themselves—what this ancient craft is all about. Both children and adults can immerse themselves in the world of this ancient building technique and work with clay here, either in a workshop or on Sundays during the open workshop. 

It’s a bit like traveling back in time. After all, the clay brick is the oldest prefabricated building element in human history; the oldest examples are over 10,000 years old.

The Appeal of the Flat Moor Biotope Although there are no Stone Age artifacts on display at the Brickworks Museum in Hagendorn, it still has plenty of history to offer. Clay for brickmaking has long been extracted in this area, which has transformed the landscape and created a valuable flat bog habitat that is also maintained by the museum. The collection also features many historical pieces, which—unlike industrial bricks—are often magnificently decorated. The collection is therefore also of interest to architects and architectural historians. Jeanne Simmen proudly guides the reporter through her “treasure trove.” She is already familiar with the world of hand-molded bricks from her time at the Ballenberg Museum, where she worked as a research associate and head of education and outreach.

The collection of historical pieces also demonstrates that hand-painted bricks are highly durable and can withstand the test of time for centuries. At the museum, experts and laypeople, adults and children alike, learn how the bricks were shaped, dried, and fired—the latter being a complex process that had to be closely monitored for many hours. And the modern kiln tower made of rammed earth, which is also located on the grounds, proves that clay remains a contemporary and eco-friendly building material. The Hagendorn brickworks was operated by the Lörch family until 1933. Today, the museum is primarily supported by private donors—most notably Alfred Müller AG—as well as the Canton of Zug and the municipalities of Zug. It also operates a specialized academic library on the subject. And a modern brickworks wouldn’t be a brickworks if it didn’t also cater to visitors’ culinary needs. You’ll be well fed at the Ziegler-Beizli.