Of Mice and Men – or of an Old Brothange

There is an old German saying that states: you can catch mice with bacon. However, mice are not very picky when it comes to food. They will eat nearly anything found in a larder or home in general. If necessary, these small rodents can even survive on paper or wood for a while.

How foodstuffs – particularly bread – were safeguarded in earlier times is demonstrated at the Museum Nutli Hüschi in Klosters, with the help of an old Brothange. This structure is as simple as it is ingenious: since mice cannot climb smooth, overhanging surfaces, loaves of bread were placed on wooden rungs that protrude from a beam suspended vertically from the ceiling.

This leaves us with one question: how was bread made? Graubünden is not particularly known for grain production. However, crops like spring barley and spring wheat were once cultivated in Klosters. In addition, there used to be as many as 20 grain mills in Klosters. Today, only one of these remains: the Untere Rohrmühle, which now serves as an annex of sorts to the Nutli Hüschi. The verdict? Well worth a visit.