We enter the brick building from the end of the 19th century, where the Mühlerama Museum is located. As the name suggests, this was once a mill, but now the place has been converted not only into a museum of food and food culture but also a lively cultural center. Although it is located outside the city center, it is worth a trip here, whether with family and friends or for a special occasion such as a birthday party. This unique experience will transport you back to the days when flour was made the old-fashioned way and you can take away a crispy bun made with your own hands.
Note: this article was written in cooperation with Kinderregion, who invited us to discover interesting and unusual places in Winterthur and Zurich for you.
Where to find Museum Mühlerama and how to get there
The Mühlerama is located in the backyard of the Alte Mühle Tiefenbrunnen complex at Seefeldstrasse 231, 8008 Zurich. Paid parking can be found just opposite the complex on Seefeldstrasse or at Tiefenbrunnen Station.
The Mühlerama is also very well accessible by Zurich public transport: Tiefenbrunnen Train Station is just a 2-minute walk away. Trams 2 and 4 (stop Bahnhof Tiefenbrunnen) and bus lines 912 and 916 also stop at Bahnhof Tiefenbrunnen. You can even get here by boat.
Opening hours and entrance fees
Mühlerama is open Tuesday through Sunday. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are open from 2 to 6 p.m., Wednesdays from 2 to 9 p.m., and Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm.
Admission is CHF 15 for adults and CHF 9 for children aged 6 to 18.
Old Mill Tiefenbrunnen
Even before the building was used to mill grain, it was first used as a brewery. In 1913, the brewery buildings were bought by the millers Wehrli & Koller, who converted the main building into a large mill with an electric belt drive. Interestingly, the Wehrli family still manages the Alte Mühle Tiefenbrunnen complex today. Today, it is a lively cultural center that includes the Mühlerama Museum, Miller’s Studio Theatre, Blaue Ente Restaurant, conference facilities, Café Kornsilo, studios, and other commercial and residential spaces. The Mühlerama Museum still maintains the tradition of flour production and offers interactive exhibitions, workshops, and tours related to the history and culture of food.
Bakery workshop
Included in the admission price is that you can bake your own bread in Mühlerama. Literally from scratch, or rather from grain. Your visit begins with a handful of wheat grains you receive in a metal cup. Next comes the hands-on part: milling your flour. With a variety of traditional and mechanical mills to try, you’ll experience firsthand how people used to grind grain—from spinning stones to cranking handles. With the guidance of the museum’s friendly staff, you’ll add yeast, water, and salt to the freshly milled flour to create your bread dough. From this, you will shape your future snack (there are no limits to creativity!). By the time your tour is over, your bread will be ready to take home. Warm and fragrant, it’s more than just a tasty treat—it’s a handmade memory of your visit to Mühlerama and arguably the best souvenir ever.
Mühlerama tour
While the bread is baking (it takes about 35-40 minutes), you can tour the museum (an audio guide is available). There is also a guided tour every afternoon around 3 o’clock. You can’t miss this one, as the bell calls for it. The miller will then show you around the building and explain various interesting facts – from the working mill machinery (powered by belts) to the different types of flour and how they are milled. At the end of the tour, a highlight is that you can take a ride – children and adults alike – on the wooden spiral slide on the mill sack. And as many times as you like!
Kornsilo Café
Before we toured the Mühlerama Museum, we enjoyed a Sunday brunch at the Kornsilo café. As the name suggests, it is located in a former grain silo. So the uniqueness of the place – the industrial retro look – is guaranteed, as is the range of exciting dishes – from traditional eggs Benedict to perhaps an unusual shakshuka. They’ve got a kids’ corner, high chairs, and plenty of tables outside. Be prepared for it to get a bit noisy inside with so many kids around.
Summary
- Since the museum is spread over several floors, the tour is not possible with a stroller.
- Be sure to book your Sunday brunch in advance.
- Descriptions are in German and English.
- At the ticket office there is a souvenir shop where you can buy not only baking supplies (cookbooks or useful kitchen aids) but also different types of flour.
