Appenzell museum of popular traditions

What makes it special

The Silvesterchläuse are locals in costume who go from house to house ringing bells on 31 December and again on 13 January. They come in three kinds: the Schöne (beautiful), the Wüeschte (ugly) and the Schö-Wüeschte, a mix of the two.

Look first at the headdresses of the Rolli and the square hats of the Schellenchläuse. Each is covered in thousands of coloured glass beads and carries a miniature scene of country life. The group's leader, the Vorrolli, wears a leather yoke fixed with 13 round bells.

The Wüeschte are the opposite: masks of animal teeth, horns and bones, and shaggy capes thick with hay, straw and dead leaves. The Schö-Wüeschte outfits are built from what the woods provide, such as pine branches, holly, silver thistles and moss.

The second round in January is tied to the villages' old refusal to recognise Pope Gregory's new calendar. The exact origin of the custom itself is unknown.

Away from the costumes, look for the Urnäsch banner from around 1350, held to be the oldest surviving image of the Appenzell bear.

Visiting

From the village square you enter three joined houses that hold the displays, the shop and the tourist office. Start in the old house, more than 400 years old, whose many nooks and crannies hold the working life of the alpine herdsmen.

The newer wing in classical style, attached to it, holds the temporary exhibitions. Before you leave, try the instruments the museum lets you play: a coin spun in a bowl (Talerschwingen), a set of cow bells (Schelleschötte) and the hammered dulcimer (Hackbrett).

Guided or on your own

A guided tour opens with the museum's film on living traditions and runs about an hour and a half. Tours are given in English, French, Italian and Spanish as well as German, and the museum will open outside its regular hours for one. Book one if the costume names and the bell customs are new to you.

Tips

If you come for the Silvesterchläuse, expect the groups to spend most of the day out at isolated farmhouses, not in the village. In the evening they make the rounds of the village restaurants, which fill with locals and visitors, so book a table early. When either date falls on a Sunday, the custom moves to the Saturday before.

In early summer, around 60 herds of cattle pass through the village on their way up to the alpine pastures, a second custom you can watch from the street.