Archäologisches Freilichtmuseum

Description

In Oerlinghausen in the district of Lippe in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Archäologisches Freilichtmuseum Oerlinghausen (AFM Oerlinghausen) guides visitors through the residential and everyday cultures of Northern Europe from the Paleolithic to the Early Middle Ages.

The museum’s origins lie in excavation campaigns carried out by a local schoolteacher between 1926 and 1931; in 1936 the open-air ensemble referred to as the "Germanengehöft" was created on that basis. Initial reconstructions were erected by an archaeological association on the Barkhauser Berg near the findspot. The site subsequently saw political uses, fell into disrepair after 1945 and was later dismantled. A fire in 1974 set in motion a new rebuilding: by 1979, with support from the Landesverband Lippe and the town of Oerlinghausen, the present complex had been established, and it has since been devoted to settlement archaeology and experimental research. The international networking of open-air museums also began in Oerlinghausen; together with other institutions the museum shaped the post-war revival of living archaeology in Germany.

In 2025 a 33-metre-long Iron Age longhouse dating to around year 0 replaced a dilapidated Bronze Age building; almost two hundred oak trunks were used in its construction. The project was funded by the Nordrhein-Westfalen-Stiftung Naturschutz, Heimat- und Kulturpflege, which had already supported earlier reconstructions and digital projects.

The museum is run by the Verein Archäologisches Freilichtmuseum Oerlinghausen e. V.; the town and the Landesverband Lippe accompany the work. The association promotes the scientific study of the prehistory and early history of the Teutoburg Forest and local history through excavations, lectures, guided tours and exhibitions.

The permanent exhibition leads visitors along a 1.5-hectare circular trail through roughly 13,000 years. Experimentally reconstructed dwellings are integrated into their respective natural and cultural landscapes and illustrate livelihoods and everyday life. Stations range from the Ice Age reindeer-hunter tent of the Ahrensburg culture (c. 12,700–12,500 BCE) through the Middle and Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age; the pre-Roman Iron Age is present in the central "Germanengehöft", and the Early Middle Ages concludes with a hall-house dating to around 600 CE. A Neolithic longhouse reconstructed on the basis of evidence from the Rössen culture contributed decisively to the site’s scientific reputation after the war. The offering is supplemented by an exhibition on the major nature-conservation project Senne.

Museum education and environmental education are focal points: programming is aimed primarily at children and families; in addition there are seminars on historical craft techniques and multi-day events such as Stone Age, Roman or Viking Days. Living archaeology with reenactors invites dialogue and critical reflection. The large-scale project UrLand (trademarked) connects the NGP Senne, the AFM and the Klimaerlebniswelt Oerlinghausen to spatially and thematically link environmental history and prehistory.

The museum self-published between 1989 and 2014 and operates a certified science blog (ISSN 2568-5864).