Birthplace of Brother Klaus

Niklaus von Flüe, otherwise known as Brother Klaus, was born in or around 1417 in Flüeli (Sachseln municipality) and died on 21 March 1487 in nearby Ranft. Brother Klaus is regarded as the patron saint of Switzerland, a mystic and a hermit.

The house in which he was born has an eventful past. The late medieval log structure was converted into a semi-detached house in 1425, which gave it its present floor plan. Since fragments of the foundations of an earlier small building were found in the cellar, it can rightly be assumed that Niklaus von Flüe was born in this house in 1417.

The property was kept in Brother Klaus's family until 1729, whereupon it was disposed of outside the family and divided into three. It was acquired by a foundation, the Kapellenstiftung Flüeli-Ranft, in the latter half of the 19th century and from 1875 to 1910 used as a school. A complete restoration in 1925 sought to restore the building to its original character using old timber. The furniture and fittings were intended to instil in visitors a sense of how life was back in Niklaus von Flüe's day. Those aims were largely respected during the most recent restoration in 1999/2000.

Opening hours
May to September
Monday to Friday, 9.30 a.m.–noon and 1.30–5 p.m.
Saturday, 9.30 a.m.–5 p.m. / Sunday, 10.30 a.m.–5 p.m.

April and October
Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.–noon and 1.30–4 p.m.
Sunday, 10.30 a.m.–noon and 1.30–4 p.m.

November to March
By prior arrangement