From clay
to living history.

References to “today” mean the June 2010 edition. This historical account is presented as a source; its details have not all been independently verified. Line breaks and spacing have been adjusted for reading on screen. Personal and family details concerning events less than 100 years old have been omitted or generalized for this online edition. The business and building history has been preserved.

The brickworks is entered in a toboggan of Appenzell as follows: "House cadastre no. 359/295 in the Ried; character of the object: brickworks building; location in the upper Ried, near the Scheibenstöcken; district: Appenzell, former Rhode Lehn; area 2799 m2; Corporation Foundation Ried, area number 175/179; Character of the property: residential building and brickworks building; number of buildings: 2. Because they are not in the fire show, the house and the brickworks building have no fire show numbers."

Until 1978, the residential building located southeast of brickworks also belonged to the brickworks, in which the penultimate operator of the brickworks, Heinrich Buschauer, grew up and lived until 1911. The house has a plot of 740 m2 and used to be outside the fire show. Until 1970, it housed two apartments and the stables for the horses.

In 1911, Heinrich Buschauer’s family moved into a new two-family house at what is now Ziegeleistrasse 11, on Ried plot no. 108. Built by Ulrich Walt from Herisau, it is now protected for its contribution to the village’s historic appearance. A small single-family house had previously stood there; the year before, it had been moved 500 m west to Sonnenfeldgässlein. The house at Ziegeleistrasse 11 passed to Karl Buschauer in 1922.

To the west of brickworks there is another residential building (Reebuebes), which also formerly belonged to the brickworks. The building has an area of ​​859 m2 and is located on the Ried fallow land No. 174/178. The house was first mentioned in documents around 1800 and changed hands twelve times. In 1896 it bought Heinrich Buschauer. After the Ried administration approved the building application, the house could be extended by 7.7 m to the north in 1909 to accommodate wagon material. The house was sold in 1973. It has now been completely renovated.

References to “today” mean the June 2010 edition. This historical account is presented as a source; its details have not all been independently verified. Line breaks and spacing have been adjusted for reading on screen. Personal and family details concerning events less than 100 years old have been omitted or generalized for this online edition. The business and building history has been preserved.

Brick products are ancient and have been used as early as 5,000 years before Christ. The first large brick building was probably the Babylonian Tower 3,000 years before Christ.

In addition to bricks, houses were also built with limestone in the past. This was a by-product of the brickworks of that time. To prepare mortar, you needed lime, which was obtained from limestone by burning it. In winter the wood was prepared, sawn into 2 m lengths, split and piled up to dry. The stones were procured in the spring and the burning took place in the summer. It was usually difficult to maintain the fire until the kiln controlled by the authorities had warmed up. The logs in the draft holes slowly charred and after about five days the embers gradually appeared on the surface. After another six days the fire was finished. The quicklime had to be slaked before use by pouring water over it in a slaked pan. The thin milk of lime was then allowed to flow from the pan into the pit.

Clay, peat, firewood and water were needed to make bricks. Clay began to be cut in the fall, cleaned roughly, piled up and exposed to the weather over the winter. In the spring the clay was then stored under a hut roof.

The clay required for the following season was soaked in small brick huts and freed from lumps of clay and stones. Afterwards he was stomped with his bare feet either on a table or in a clay pit by assistants, often children in the past. On the brick maker's table, a blank made of plastic clay was kneaded with both hands without any tools into lumps for roof tiles, bricks or later drainage pipes. These were dried outdoors. Later the design was improved by using a wooden frame. This wooden frame was placed on the ground sprinkled with sand and manually filled with plastic clay. To prevent sticking, the frame was constantly soaked with water. The semi-dry brick blanks were often additionally decorated with primitive scratching devices.

For roof tiles, the tile maker sanded a beaver tail mold and placed it on a board. He pounded a lump of clay into the mold and carefully smoothed it out using simple painting tools. He removed the excess clay with a piece of wood, leaving some of it needed to shape the nose.

References to “today” mean the June 2010 edition. This historical account is presented as a source; its details have not all been independently verified. Line breaks and spacing have been adjusted for reading on screen. The original contains conflicting dates, including “1873 again until 1857” and changes of ownership in 1872. These remain visible as source statements. Personal and family details concerning events less than 100 years old have been omitted or generalized for this online edition. The business and building history has been preserved.

There were several small lime and brick kilns on today's Ried 500 years ago. However, this only means a kiln where bricks were burned for one's own use or for neighbors. Today, names such as “brickworks” or “Zieglers” (Ulmann) still indicate this. One of these small brickworks was also located on the connecting road between the Ried and Bahnhofstrasse, below the former Schützenhaus (east of the home of master potter Franz Hautle) in a small house in which Franz Anton Manser made bricks until 1850. The fire show commission had to deal with this matter several times as the distillery continued to expand. In 1871 the owner converted this small brick factory into a match factory. In 1990, this small, single-story house, which bore the name “Brickworks” on the facade, was replaced by a contemporary new building.

The largest of these small “brick kilns” stood where the brickworks Appenzell is today. It was probably built around 1450 as a field kiln. This consisted of a pile, i.e. a beige brick blank, approximately one cubic meter. The outer surfaces were well sealed with clay and chimneys were created under the kiln in which the fuel burned. As the kiln was further constructed, the available fuel was sprinkled between the individual layers of the moldings. After the kiln was lit, the fire burned from bottom to top.

Around the year 1500, some of these brick kilns were probably supplemented with a small building and expanded into a larger brick and lime kiln. After that, the remaining brick kilns gradually collapsed. In 1559 the “brickworks on the Ried” was first mentioned in a document at its current location.

Today's brickworks with the lime kiln used to belong to the state and was therefore one of the government buildings of Appenzell until April 22, 1857. At that time, clay digging and limestone collecting was a monopoly of the authorities and could only be carried out by the public.

On March 18, 1560, the eve of St Josef's Day, a devastating fire reduced the whole village of Appenzell, with more than 300 gables, to ashes. It began as a chimney fire in a bakery on the old Weissbadstrasse. The warm downslope wind carried the flames to the shingle roofs, setting them alight. The value of a hard roof covering—fired clay tiles—now became clear. Appenzell's three master builders at the time, former chief magistrate Joachim Meggelin, Hans Knill and cantonal clerk Moritz Hefs, undertook to direct the rebuilding without payment. In return, they were allowed to use the brickworks free of charge. As they had served the canton as unpaid master builders since the fire, the council awarded each of them forty guilders on January 1, 1563. It also granted them six years' free use of the brickworks and the right to dig clay and gather limestone, activities otherwise reserved to the state. They received all existing stocks of tiles, wood and lime on condition that they continued as unpaid master builders for another six years. Should a new town hall be built within the next few years, they were even promised a salary.

The three builders were the first known managers of the Appenzell brickworks. The coats of arms of these deserving men can still be seen today - in recognition of their work - above the entrance to the council chamber in the town hall of Appenzell.

Because the small brickworks had become dilapidated after this excessive use after the village fire, the front part of the kiln, which is still standing today, was rebuilt around 1565. In a letter dated December 29, 1573, the government of Appenzell informed that of Zurich that the brickworks would be handed over to Rudolf Ringgli, an experienced brick maker from Zurich, for operation. The great interest of the Appenzell government in a well-functioning brickworks was reflected in the fact that the brickmaker was given land, free housing and heating, clay, wood and lime free of charge. The “solution” from the bricks and lime went half to the country and half to the brick maker. Ringgli also received an annual salary of 220 guilders. An illustration "Land and Village Appenzell anno 1586" clearly shows the brickworks in its current location for the first time.

After the wind had knocked over the brickworks, the weekly council decreed on February 18, 1606 that the brickworks should be "buwen" again, then you can't stay here for long without a target. The construction was commissioned to the Säckelmeister, who was the master builder. On August 19, 1618, the same authority hired a new brickmaker from Waldkirch, “who should be a good and honest man” and gave him sole management of the new company.

In the land bill from 1614 there is, among other things, an entry that the church purchased 2200 roof panels from Master Melcher as the later operator of the brickworks. A council resolution from 1638 also states that the state builder of Appenzell should always maintain the brickworks (at that time the brickworks was owned by the state Appenzell, but was handed over to a brick maker for management).

In 1755 the brickworks Appenzell reached its current size. From June 22, 1836 to November 11, 1837, the “High Government” leased the brickworks to brickmaker Johann Anton Suter for 120 guilders. From 1839 to 1845, “alt Bot” Kölbener was the tenant of brickworks, also from November 20, 1845 for another four years.

On November 21, 1837, the weekly council discussed and determined new regulations and the conditions for the award of the brickworks. In 1850, due to insufficient profitability, the sale of brickworks to the highest bidder was discussed for the first time in authorities circles.

On June 3, 1850, the large two-time district administrator decided that the brickworks, which was state-owned, could only be leased at a public auction. It then went to brickmaker Jakob Signer for three years from November 4, 1850 and again in 1873 until April 21, 1857 for 110 guilders annually.

But in 1856 the government decided that the brickworks and its flooring should be sold. The chronicle says about the purchase negotiations: "The building commission would like to know how the brickworks should be used in the future. However, for the time being it believes that if the aggravations and disadvantages for the country are taken into account more closely, it should be in the country's interest to sell the brickworks. After the survey was carried out, it was recognized that the brickworks to give it a lease, to have it sold at public auction, and to leave the detailed lease conditions of each kind to the building commission.

Because the brickworks was on Riedboden, on December 2, 1856, those responsible for the Ried cooperative, with ban warden Josef Fritsche as the first signatory, addressed the weekly council with the following important letter:

"High-born, highly respected Mr. chief magistrate! Highly respected gentlemen!

The most respectful undersigned appear before you in the name and on behalf of the current cooperative of the ancient poor foundation Ried in order to refute their just complaints and objections against the last worded or The decision of brickworks to hand over the Riedboden previously used in the annual lease as property to the highest bidder in the future.

We do not raise the slightest complaint against the sale of the brickworks buildings, which are available property of the state, respectively. Building authority, but only against the sale of the land, which according to the foundation of Hugo Baumann, Walter Küchenmeister, Adelheid Baumann etc. is not state property, but poor property, which in its entirety and content is inviolable and inalienable in all its parts.

The current owners of this oldest poor foundation, which dates back to before the middle of the 15th century, do not see the Ried themselves as property but only as a usufruct, over which they have no right to alienate, but rather have a strict duty to pass it on to their poor descendants with equal rights, completely and uncompromisingly, just as they inherited it from their ancestors. Our first complaint and legal defense is based on the inviolability and sanctity of the old poor foundation.

If the high authorities also have the right to supervise the pious foundations and even, according to the constitution, the right to dispose of the better use of the poor's goods as intended, no legal reason can be derived from this for selling much or little of the Ried, because the founder himself expressed his will that it should be and remain the inalienable property of the poor for use and cultivation etc. for all time, which is why it does not fall so much into the concept of narrower poor goods, but rather in the concept of foundations, in which the founder's will is decisive..."

There are two more pages of justification and the letter ends with:

“... Taking advantage of this occasion, we place ourselves under your paternal protection and consideration and draw with all respect and reverent devotion.

Highly born, honored Mr. chief magistrate!

Esteemed gentlemen,

Appenzell, December 2, 1856

most obedient servants and subordinates

Fritschi Joseph Anton, warden

Count Paul

Aebisegger Johann Baptist

Neff Franz Karl

Dörig Jakob Anton“

This letter had its impact. As early as 1857, a letter from brickworks said: “According to a major council resolution, the government gave Johann Anton Schmid the brickworks on the Ried, including all the associated buildings and residential buildings, but without any property of its own, but otherwise in the previous rights, benefits and complaints about the listed price 1600 guilders and 20 francs tip”. The brickworks then passed into private ownership for the first time on April 22, 1857 as a previously government-owned building to Jakob Anton Weishaupt for 1,600 guilders, 59 francs and 69 centimes, but without land (1 guilder was equivalent to around CHF 2.20 at the time).

On March 29, 1865, the first owner Anton Weishaupt auctioned off the brickworks to Josef Anton Wild from Tägerschen for Fr. 7,720.--.

A year later, on February 14, 1866, Captain Benedikt Broger bought the brickworks for Fr. 4,620. A month later, on March 8th, Hans Jakob Krüsi bought the brickworks from the store for CHF 7,900 and a tip of CHF 100. After another two months, Daniel Lutz purchased the brickworks building on May 28th for the same price. Finally, on November 28th, the brickworks was sold for the fourth time in the same year to Benedikt Broger for CHF 4,200.

On February 6, 1868, shoemaker Johann Anton Hersche bought the brickworks for CHF 12,000 and operated it for four years!

Then, on January 3, 1872, it passed to the cart driver Johann Baptist Wild for CHF 12,000 and a tip of CHF 5.

He sold it again on December 28th of the same year to old teacher Franz Anton Wild for CHF 13,000 and a tip of CHF 100.

Apparently the first independent brickmakers in Appenzell were unable to get off to a good start. Until 1875, the brickworks changed hands no less than ten times in these 18 years. After numerous citizens of Appenzell owned the brickworks for a short time, Gottlieb Waibel, a very experienced brickmaker from Huttwil in Lucerne, finally took over the brickworks on February 27, 1872 for Fr. 13,000. He wanted to finally bring the brickworks into shape.

Waibel ran the brickworks with great success for three years and finally sold the now well-functioning business on October 5, 1875 to Valentin Gschwend, Master potter from Altstätten, around Fr. 13,000.-

After so many changes of ownership, the right people have now apparently taken over the brickworks and have been able to maintain it as a source of livelihood for their families for generations. On April 15, 1881, Valentin Gschwend left the brickworks to his daughter Heinrich Buschauer for Fr. 30,000.--. Heinrich Buschauer was born on October 12, 1851 in Altach (Vorarlberg) and worked for many years with his employer's only daughter in the Appenzell brickworks before his marriage. He brought the business forward and expanded the brickworks. At the open-air cantonal assembly in 1905 he was granted citizenship. The restlessly creative man died on October 27, 1921 as a result of a stroke.

On December 2nd, 1922, the goat hut was transferred by inheritance to the heirs of Heinrich Buschauer and on December 23rd of the same year it passed to his son Karl Buschauer for CHF 36,000. The brickworks was now in III. generation of this family. Karl Buschauer was born on June 6, 1891 in Appenzell and continued to run the brickworks after his father's death until it was closed in September 1957. Since March 11, 1940, he was a member of the Eastern Swiss Brickworks Owners' Cooperative.

Farming was also part of the brickworks operation. Members of the operating family held public offices as well.

The legal relationships resulting from the development of the Appenzell brickworks are exemplary of the old Appenzell land law and have been preserved to this day. So the land on which the Appenzell brickworks stands has remained the property of the Ried Foundation to this day, while the buildings and facilities became separate property. Accordingly, the respective owner of the brickworks, who as such has free disposal rights over the buildings, must continue to pay the Ried Foundation a rent for the use of the land.

The brickworks was the first and one of the smallest industrial companies in the Appenzellerland. Thanks to the tireless creativity of its owners, it has served the construction industry in Appenzellerland well for decades and was the basis of existence for a family and its 10-strong workforce. Especially in our fast-moving age of technology, it is valuable to use chronicles to once again remind ourselves of the beginnings and circumstances from which most of our companies and thus our industry have developed.

References to “today” mean the June 2010 edition. This historical account is presented as a source; its details have not all been independently verified. Line breaks and spacing have been adjusted for reading on screen. Personal and family details concerning events less than 100 years old have been omitted or generalized for this online edition. The business and building history has been preserved.

The clay came largely from the immediate surroundings of the brickworks, from the upper fallow areas of the reed area and from the Mendle.

From the 16th to the 19th century, clay was dug by several brickmakers in the entire area around brickworks. The exploitation of clay in the upper fallow areas was therefore an important commodity for the Ried for many years. Article 40 of the Ried Statutes stated: “If a fallow area is suitable for the exploitation of clay, gravel, sand, etc., the administration has the right to claim such fallow land, i.e. to exploit it in the interest of the overall administration and to withdraw it from the previous beneficiary.” The Ried administration was therefore interested in entering into a contractual relationship with the owners of the brickworks, who needed the clay to make bricks. In May 1877, Valentin Gschwend asked the Ried administration that he be allowed to use the allocated fallow land above the brickworks alone. The right was granted to him with the requirement that he return it to usable condition after exploitation. Furthermore, he had to announce the number of cartloads to the Ried administration every evening when the clay sled started.

A complaint from Heinrich Buschauer that the annual payment of CHF 250 for the clay output should be reduced due to the low yield from the clay pit was rejected by the Ried administration on October 28, 1916. In November 1917, the brickyard owner was granted permission by the administration, in the presence of master sacker Haas, to exploit clay at another location. It was a cheaper place there and exploitation was certain for years to come. The annual fee was set at CHF 30, along with interest on the fallow land.

Meanwhile, Appenzell's brickmakers sought access to more clay pits. During the 19th century, digging began beneath the peat in the northernmost part of Forren Männdli, now called Mendle, in Meistersrüte near the cantonal border with Gais. The clay was used for bricks and stove tiles. Until 1860, members of the Mendle landholding community could use the pit freely; those from outside the canton paid a fee for each load. Two rights-of-way agreements improved access to the clay pit in 1847, and extraction steadily increased. Growing demand led the Mendle commission to require digging permits from 1860 and to charge its Innerrhoden members from 1865. Brickmaker Franz Anton Manser and other Innerrhoden users now paid 40 centimes per load. In 1860, a dispute arose over brickmaker Weishaupt's claim to a special right of use as owner of the Appenzell brickworks. His assertion that the 1857 purchase had given him unrestricted priority access to the Mendle pit was rejected. At an extraordinary meeting of the Mendle community on November 25, 1877, rights to exploit the subsoil were assigned to the central administration. The district communities retained only the right to use the grass and vegetation harvested for bedding. Less than three weeks later, the supervisory commission signed an agreement with brickworks owner Valentin Gschwend, among others, granting him ten years of clay extraction. This swift action met with considerable opposition, particularly from the Appenzell district's Mendle commission. The resulting disputes reached both the district and cantonal courts. Finally, an extraordinary community meeting on May 19, 1878 resolved that income from clay extraction should go to the district communities.

Until the end of the 19th century, the clay for brick production was cut directly in front of the old house on the upper part of what later became the Schützenwiese. A transport box on a rope carried the clay to the storage area behind the brickworks. When the supply of clay in this pit east of the brickworks ran low, the clay was fetched from the fallow land near Bannhüttli above the Riedwald from 1900 onwards. The clay from this area, called “Rosengarten”, south of the brickworks on the northern slope of the Sollegg, was at a depth of 40 cm below the upper layer and consisted of yellowish clay without stone inclusions. The workers carried the clay with stretchers or the daughters from Heinrich Buschauer with stretchers from Bannhüttli to the brickworks. Because the clay from the Bannhüttli area was not suitable for the production of roof tiles, the production of roof tiles has now been stopped.

For a few years, clay was also mined at the “Kantenstell” on the road to the Gontenbad. But the quality wasn't particularly good there.

On September 12, 1920, an extraordinary Riedgemeinde granted the Ried administration the authority to authorize the construction of a roller or cable car for the transport of clay from the new clay pit below the Freudenberg. However, the commission was of the opinion that the wasteland would be significantly less damaged by a cable car than by a taxiway. In 1921 Heinrich Buschauer built the transport cable car. It led from the “mountain station” of the new clay pit, approx. 300 m above the brickworks and east of Freudenberg, down to the newly built extension on the south side of the brickworks. A barrack 13 m long and 6 m wide was built near the clay pit to protect the machinery, and a covered shelter was also built as a “valley station” on the south side of the brickworks. For the clay yield, Ried was now paid CHF 500 annually instead of the previous CHF 400. In addition, an agreement had to be reached with the relevant brownfield tenants due to a reduced yield from use.

At the beginning of the 1930s, clay extraction had to be stopped forever due to the exhaustion of the material on the reed soil. All clay pits on the Ried were then recultivated. A waste disposal site was set up to fill the clay pit above the brickworks, which was accessible by the cable car.

Now the clay was brought exclusively from the Mendle. A powerful clay pit was built there under Karl Buschauer, which was used until the brickworks was closed in 1957. A horse pulled the three trolleys loaded with clay onto a wooden structure and then dumped the contents into a horse or truck below. The clay was of exceptionally good quality and absolutely free of additives or rubbish. It was stored several meters high behind the brickworks.

As soon as the clay in the storage area behind the brickworks was used up again, all the brickworks workers were ordered back to the Mendle to dig clay for about a week when the weather was nice. This was pricked with a “harp” and dismantled cube by cube.

The clay used to be transported from Mendle to Appenzell in winter by horse-drawn sled. Despite the often extreme cold, around three men worked in the clay pit at a time and excavated the clay, which was barely frozen under the ice cover, to a depth of 3 - 4 m. Four, later two, horses drove two or one sled. If two sleds were necessary, the second sled had to be unhooked at Adlerplatz in Appenzell in order to pull one to brickworks first. The second sled was then fetched from Adlerplatz. Only when the clay was transported by truck did people stop digging for clay in the winter. However, driving on clay with a horse-drawn sled was not particularly popular with drivers because a scraper was placed under the sled to brake and this usually left deep grooves in the road. A cantonal government resolution dated December 21, 1940 also stated that the building authority had to be made aware of the extensive damage caused by the clay sled. Josef Schiegg and, at times, Baptist Neff were on duty as carters, both of whom also carried out transports in the brickworks truck for a few years. After two collisions with the train, the truck was sold again.

From 1947 onwards, Walter Rusch was commissioned by Bleiche to carry out the transports with his truck until it was shut down. When Walter Rusch was unable to attend, Franz Knechtle from Weissbadstrasse also transported clay with his nostalgic truck.

References to “today” mean the June 2010 edition. This historical account is presented as a source; its details have not all been independently verified. Line breaks and spacing have been adjusted for reading on screen. Personal and family details concerning events less than 100 years old have been omitted or generalized for this online edition. The business and building history has been preserved.

Until the first machines were put into operation in Appenzell, the bricks were formed by hand. The clay was kneaded and pressed into wooden molds. This is how bricks and roof tiles were created. The “rain gutters” on the plain tiles were pulled with four fingers of a strong hand.

As a result of advancing industrialization, on November 21, 1896, Heinrich Buschauer asked the Riedverwaltung for permission to build a water pipe from the Bann (Vogelherd) down through the Riedfallen with the promise that everything would be restored to perfect condition afterwards. In addition, the pushers on the Ried are entitled to use the hydrant and hose they have created in the event of a fire accident. The permit was granted to him on February 22, 1897 with a corresponding letter in the office. To feed this water pipe, a pond was created above the forest to the east of Bannhüttli. Now the first smaller machines could be used.

The great pressure of this long pipe made it possible to install a water wheel in the brickworks, which drove smaller individual machines. In 1906, a year after the Appenzell power station went into operation, Heinrich Buschauer itself constructed the first machines for making bricks. Now a 45 horsepower engine powered the few machines.

In 1910 slips caused major damage below the pond. On behalf of the Riedverwaltung, experts from the Schuler engineering office in St. Gallen investigated the causes of this. However, they determined that the entire area was a slip area and that neither the seepage from the pond nor a burst pipe could be responsible for the damage.

Facade panels were also experimentally baked in the brickworks around 1910. These large, rust-colored flamed panels were intended as cladding for the basement floors of residential buildings. Samples of such panels can still be found on some residential buildings today. However, these panels could not withstand the cold and small cracks appeared in the winter. They were therefore no longer manufactured. Other objects such as cake tins, garden gnomes, etc. were also experimentally produced in the brickworks and burned together with bricks.

In the same year the 45 hp engine was replaced by a larger 85 hp engine. This powered 13 machines via a transmission. Three other smaller engines powered the pipe grinding machine, the rods for the coal hoppers and the exhaust fan for the chimney.

On July 27, 1920, the Fire Show Commission (EW operating commission) had to deal with the network load fluctuations in the station area. It was agreed with the brickworks owner that he would shut down the large engine during lunchtime and in return he would be granted a reduction in his electricity bill. In 1942 the 85 HP engine was replaced by a new 110 HP slip ring armature engine.

Machines were now also purchased from the Rieter brick making machine factory in Konstanz.

After the machines in the brickworks were operated electrically, the water pipe from Bannhüttli down could be put out of operation. The pond was filled in again (but it can still be clearly seen as a swamp today). The land that was owned by the brickworks was returned to the Ried administration on March 27, 1929.

Around 1930, people also tried to fire stove tiles. These were formed from special clay. Green glass bottles were ground up and the green bottle dust was mixed into the clay. This gave the tiles the green color. However, because the tiles had fine hairline cracks, their manufacture was no longer pursued.

Brickworks generally worked from the beginning of May to the end of September. During the winter months the entire operation came to a standstill. At the start of the season, clay was mined first, then produced and in between, clay was fetched again. Between July and the end of September, burning took place at the same time, with few interruptions.

As soon as there was enough clay in the storage area behind the brickworks, the actual production could begin. Two workers (workers 1 and 2) used carts to transport the clay to the feeder, a small iron conveyor belt on the second floor. There stood the “mixer” (3), the most important man in the entire brick production. This distributed the clay on the feeder and added water if it was too dry or sand from ground broken bricks if the clay was too wet. The clay entered the pan mill from the feeder. There an iron rim weighing 6 hundredweight turned around its own axis. The clay was kneaded and rolled. Stones or rubbish were crushed, ground and mixed into the clay. The floor of the pan was made of iron plates with very small slots. The clay was pressed through these slits and fell like tapeworms into the large collecting plate rotating underneath.

The clay, already fairly well kneaded, fell from this collecting plate on the ground floor between two iron rollers. There it was further crushed and finally made its way into the brick making machine. The desired brick shape was attached to the front of the brick making machine. A worm gear pressed the clay through the mold onto a cutting table with 11 small rollers. As soon as the clay had reached the height and width of a brick at the front of the cutting table, a worker (4) cut off brick blanks using a bracket to which one to three wires were clamped, depending on the type of brick. This meant that one, two or three blanks were cut off at the same time. The worker took the blanks and placed them very carefully on a tray of the Pater Noster elevator, which transported the brick or pipe blanks to the 2nd, 3rd or 4th floor.

The drainage pipes were made in a similar way to the bricks. To do this, the clay was first pressed through the brick making machine without a mold attached and fell onto the ground. The cutting table was rotated 180 degrees and stood in front of the pipe machine. The clay was filled from the ground into the pipe machine by another man (5) so that the clay was kneaded an additional time with rollers. The desired shape for one large or two small drainage pipes was mounted on the pipe machine. The clay for the drainage pipes had to be kneaded particularly well so that they were impermeable to water in the ground.

On the three upper floors, three workers (6, 7 and 8) stood ready with flat unicycle wheelbarrows and lifted the blanks from the elevator shelves onto their carts. While one worker loaded his truck, the other two workers brought the brick blanks into the storage racks on these three floors.

Drainage pipes were usually dried on the 4th floor, standing on the floor. After a week they had to be turned because they were drying from top to bottom. Once the pipes were dry, the inner edge had to be sanded clean with a knife. This work was later carried out with the pipe grinding machine on the 1st floor.

A heavy machine was used to break fired bricks, so-called broken bricks. The resulting sand was also mixed into the wet clay on the feeder. Clay bricks, which were needed by potters, were also very often produced.

Despite the amount of manual work, the production was quite large. In the last few years of operation, up to 10,000 bricks were produced daily, which resulted in an annual production of up to 500,000 pieces on the few days on which bricks were produced.

References to “today” mean the June 2010 edition. This historical account is presented as a source; its details have not all been independently verified. Line breaks and spacing have been adjusted for reading on screen. Personal and family details concerning events less than 100 years old have been omitted or generalized for this online edition. The business and building history has been preserved.

Although there were never any major accidents at the Appenzell brickworks, the brickworks was not always spared from blows of fate over the many years. Here is a small selection of them:

A dispute among the workers:

Apparently things in brickworks weren't always very civilized in the past. In a judgment of the cantonal court of Appenzell-Innerrhoden from September 11, 1874 it says: “... In the brickworks there was a not insignificant scandal in which the first person involved, although it was still assumed that the second person involved in his drunken state, acted as a beginner, committed a not insignificant offense by using a artificial tool (knife) and the resulting injuries, and it should also be taken into account that he was aware of partial guilt due to the fact that he followed the doctors, the latter of which he has as a mitigating factor...". It continues: "... Considering that the injured person suffered significant damage due to his inability to work (7 weeks) and that he was also entitled to compensation for pain and suffering and compensation for provoking or insulting the first person involved, the first person involved was sentenced to a fine of 100 francs in the country's purse and to compensation of 100 francs, as well as to pay the medical costs, the second Those involved, however, will be fined 10 francs.

Fire outbreak:

On April 3, 1896, a fire threatened to break out in the brickworks. As a result, the then owner Karl Buschauer had a hydrant built near Riedgaden, which was put into operation on June 3, 1897 in the presence of the fire inspection commission. This temporarily helped the Riedverwaltung out of its greatest embarrassment, as the creator himself purchased 100 meters of hoses at his own expense and made them available to Ried.

An accident involving a bystander:

In 1922, the then student [name omitted for data protection reasons] clung to the rope of the clay transport train with his hand and rode along on the pull rope for a short distance. When he reached the circulation wheel in the valley station, he no longer dared to let go of the rope. His fingers got caught in the wheel and he lost his forearm hand forever.

Storm damage:

The often very strong warm downslope wind caused major damage to the building several times. In 1919 the high chimney broke; On February 15, 1925, warm downslope winds broke the chimney again and also damaged the roof and the building quite badly. By installing an electric extractor fan, it was no longer necessary to build the fireplace so high. That's why the factory chimney was only built to 2/3 of the previous height.

Accidents involving the truck:

On June 18, 1930, the brickworks truck collided with an Appenzell tramway train at the railroad crossing near the Mendle clay pit in Meistersrüte. Both the truck and locomotive were badly damaged. The track was cleared after about half an hour, and passengers transferred to continue their journeys. The truck was repaired and returned to service.

Difficulties with the horse-drawn sled:

Clay deliveries by horse-drawn sled could also encounter problems at the railroad crossing. Where snow had been cleared from the rails, the sled could become stuck and delay trains.

The end of the truck:

In 1932, another collision between the brickworks truck and a train occurred at the Riedstrasse railroad crossing. The truck was then sold, and deliveries returned to horse-drawn transport.

An accident at work:

Working with the heavy machinery involved serious risks. The source records a workplace accident; personal details of the injuries are omitted here.

References to “today” mean the June 2010 edition. This historical account is presented as a source; its details have not all been independently verified. Line breaks and spacing have been adjusted for reading on screen. Personal and family details concerning events less than 100 years old have been omitted or generalized for this online edition. The business and building history has been preserved.

Of course, the brickworks was also a popular gaming El Dorado, especially in winter. Children from all over the area took advantage of the unique opportunity to spend their free time there.

During the winter months, under certain conditions, the brickworks could also be used as a playground by the children in the neighborhood. The brickworks was almost predestined as a crime scene for “hiders” and “robbers and police”.

But even in the summer months, while people were working, the brickworks was a guarantee for spending an unforgettable youthful time. Children made trays full of clay figures, artificial bread and magnificent “braids” out of clay for the seller’s shop. They then had the workers secretly burn all of these things along with the bricks. These “art objects” then usually occupied several square meters of floor space in an unused corner of the building.

For many years in spring and autumn, the kiln—known as the “cave”—became a popular ghost-train ride. On Sunday afternoons, local children were paid 50 centimes for four hours of work: playing ghosts inside the kiln or pushing one of two heavy, three-wheeled brick carts, each carrying two children. Young visitors from the neighborhood and village queued outside the brickworks from 1 p.m., paying 20 centimes for a ride. Around ten surprises awaited them along the cave's more than 60 m length. One of the most feared was a homemade coffin: a child lying inside would lift the lid by torchlight whenever a cart passed. At another point, the cart was pushed up a sloping board before dropping about 10 cm. Elsewhere, a wet linen sack hung from the ceiling and brushed against passengers' faces—an unpleasant surprise in the dark. On the floor above, another helper stood over the kiln, using a watering can to pour water through the coal-feed openings onto the cart below. There was always another idea for a new fright.

Between 1955 and 1965, the cave also served as a cave bar in the winter months, which was lit from above with hanging lamps. It was often quite loud here until the early hours of the morning.

The upper floors were temporarily covered with hay bales. Later, when brick production was stopped, the brickworks also served as a furniture warehouse and housed many old sofas. It is therefore not surprising that many young people often spent unforgettable hours here.

The former workers’ room on the third floor was also used as living space for a time.

Several times, when the weather was bad, the brickworks served the Riedmates for their annual meeting. The Riedgemeinde, which used to always take place on Easter Monday, usually meets on the square in front of Riedgaden. However, when the weather was very bad, this small political meeting was moved to the 3rd floor of brickworks for many years.

The fire department often took the opportunity to practice in the brickworks. The kiln, even during the brick-making period, was regularly barricaded and filled with smoke. The fire department's respiratory protection group was able to practice emergencies here for many years under ideal conditions.

References to “today” mean the June 2010 edition. This historical account is presented as a source; its details have not all been independently verified. Line breaks and spacing have been adjusted for reading on screen. Personal and family details concerning events less than 100 years old have been omitted or generalized for this online edition. The business and building history has been preserved.

On the last Saturday in September 1957, the heavy machinery rattled for the last time in the brickworks Appenzell. As always, operations were stopped after Kilbi and were supposed to rest until next spring.

But as the winter wore on, Karl Buschauer became seriously concerned about the future of the brickworks. The commissioning of the new Istighofen brickworks - at the time the most modern brickworks in Europe - forced the owners of most of the small brickworks to modernize their operations, otherwise they would no longer be competitive. This meant that the brickworks that previously air-dried their products had to switch to fully automatic drying and firing using electric chambers and thus simultaneously introduce year-round operation instead of summer operation. On the other hand, the monopoly of the Swiss brickworks manufacturers and the Eastern Swiss Brickworks Owners' Cooperative (GOZ) prevented the Appenzell brickworks from delivering outside the canton of Appenzell-Innerrhoden. For this purpose, all brick products that were sold in Innerrhoden were billed via the brickworks Appenzell. Expanding the company was therefore out of the question because otherwise too much would have been produced. In addition, it became increasingly difficult to hire the same existing workers every spring. It used to be common for brickworks workers to only be permanently employed in the summer and to do temporary work in the winter. In the spring they were happy to come back to the brickworks to work. From 1950 onwards, one or two new workers had to be hired and trained every year. The beautiful pocket watches, which had been presented for many years of company loyalty, were left behind.

After the 1957 production season, the machinery was not restarted in the spring of 1958. Brick production in Appenzell had come to a permanent end.

From now on only resale was carried out as an intermediary. The bricks, roof tiles and drainage pipes were purchased from other brickworks in eastern Switzerland and sold in small quantities from the warehouse to the entrepreneurs in Appenzell. Larger quantities were delivered directly to the construction sites from the external brickworks and billed via the brickworks Appenzell.

The brick trade continued after production ended, finally closing on June 30, 1981. The upper floors and parts of the ground floor were rented out for hay and wood storage and vehicle parking.

The large building now had no clear purpose and faced demolition. Proposals for the leased site included an apartment building, a road intersection and parking for the ski lift; others considered turning it into a storage shed. To preserve the historic structure, a buyer was sought who would keep the building intact. At the last moment, it was sold on January 1, 1982, to architect Roman Kölbener, an ETH graduate. Determined to save this important piece of Appenzell’s industrial heritage, he planned a brickworks museum and a professional restoration.

Plans for a cultural use continued in the mid-1980s. Walter Regli-Kölbener had the brickworks converted into a cultural center. The machinery and most equipment remained in place. Two art galleries occupied the ground and second floors, and the first stage of the new cultural center opened in May 1987. The upper part of the kiln became a theater. A distinctive permanent art collection took shape on the third floor: every artist exhibiting in either gallery contributed one of their exhibited works. Other floors hosted small exhibitions and events, while craftspeople operated small workshops on the ground floor. After ten years, exhibitions paused, although occasional events continued. The source describes the highly successful “Pfeff ond Lischt” exhibitions, organized by Gerd Oberdorfer in fall 1989 and in 2000, as the last exhibitions. With hundreds of experiments, they brought more than a thousand visitors from across Switzerland back to the brickworks.

In the summer of 2000, the future of the brickworks was finally sealed. Thanks to a generous donation from Heinrich Gebert, the former brickworks was converted into an art museum for 10.5 million francs as a complement to the Museum Liner Appenzell. In a construction period of two years, the brickworks was completely hollowed out, all walls and ceilings were replaced and the entire building was equipped with the most modern infrastructure. Fortunately, the walls of the old kiln, the only one still preserved in Switzerland, remained standing. The outer shell has been replaced with a new larch cladding and the tiled roof with a glass roof. Since spring 2003, the former brickworks has been available to the public as the unique “Brickworks Art Gallery”. Fortunately, some old brick machines and objects, extensively renovated, remained in today's art gallery; other historically valuable self-constructed machines and the rods for operating the kiln are only memories.