Open-Air
August 6, 2006
Visitors to open-air museums in Germany will discover buildings such as community centers, homes, barns and schools that are authentic renditions offering a glimpse into particular periods in German history.
Life at the Limes
Excursionists, for instance, can follow an 11-kilometer-long (about seven miles) archeological tour along the border wall called the Limes that once marked part of the Northern frontier of the Roman Empire. Visitors see how people lived centuries ago.
A fort, ancient baths and the Limes Gate near Dalkingen create an impressive ensemble conveying a sense of life during Roman times. Visitors can also reach the site by car or bike.
All about the Middle Ages
Königspfalz Tilleda is an open-air museum in the village of the same name located at the base of Kyffhäuser Mountain on the southern edge of the Harz mountain range. Upon request, groups can get a taste of the Middle Ages in special cooking and game programs.
Marriage -- not just out of love…
Visitors attending the Bauernhaus Museum Wolfegg (Wolfegg Farmhouse Museum) can trace the footsteps of farmers, farm laborers and maidservants. The special exhibition entitled "Music! Two, Three, Four…Village Musicians in Upper Swabia," which runs until Nov. 5, 2006, presents a unique regional tradition: music for brass instruments.
And, the exhibition "Marriage and Marital Bliss -- Not Just Out of Love," which also runs until Nov. 5, shows how matrimony was more pragmatic than it was romantic back in (Great-)Grandma's day and age.
Country life
The Schwarze Berge Natural Preserve between Hamburg and Lüneburger Heide is home to the Kiekeberg Outdoor Museum. Special re-enactment events occur throughout the year on the museum's spacious grounds.
"Lived History" is also the theme of re-enactment days when visitors can see how farmer families lived in 1804. Actors in authentic costumes depict everyday activities on a farm as they were in olden days.