Freilichtmuseum Klockenhagen

Description

In the Klockenhagen district of Ribnitz-Damgarten, the open-air museum Klockenhagen presents on a six-hectare site an ensemble of historic buildings and rural spaces laid out as a "village within a village." It illustrates village life in Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania over the past three centuries and aims to give a vivid impression of everyday life, work and domestic culture.

The museum’s collection and presentation are based on houses and farm buildings that were dismantled in 18 different villages of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, rebuilt here and restored in accordance with monument conservation principles. The buildings contain showrooms and exhibition spaces; in addition, gardens have been established and livestock kept to bring the rural environment to life.

A historic village shop, added to the collection in 1994, documents a salesroom that was operated in Neuendorf-Heide across three generations until 1984; the exhibition area displays goods from the GDR period up to 1990. The museum restaurant Up dei Däl is housed in Haus Strassen; this residence was built in 1671 in Strassen (Gorlosen) and reconstructed in the open-air museum in 1980. The dining room also serves as a space for events and exhibitions. Each year a competition for the most beautiful harvest crown of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is held in Haus Strassen; the crowns are collected from August and awarded at the Harvest Festival.

The half-timbered church comes from Dargelütz near Parchim and, in addition to functioning as a museum object, is used for services, weddings and baptisms as well as readings, lectures and concerts. It belongs to the Propstei Ribnitz of the Evangelisch-Lutherischen Landeskirche Mecklenburgs. The interior includes an altarpiece dating from 1647, on loan from the parish of Gresse-Greven; in 1682 it was painted with scenes such as the Last Supper and the Crucifixion and fitted with carved figures of Moses, John the Baptist and the evangelists Mark, Luke and John, crowned by the figure of the risen Christ. The seating comprises two benches made in the 19th century from the village church Rostocker Wulfshagen; the remaining pews are reproductions.

A medicinal and culinary herb garden, laid out after the model of Abbess Hildegard von Bingen, contains around 300 predominantly North German herbs. Visitors also have the opportunity to experience traditional village practices hands-on: in a reconstruction of a 1910 bread oven from Laupin sourdough breads are baked and the dough and oven techniques are explained; other hands-on activities include washing laundry and working in a village smithy.