Museum Osthusschule

Description

In the Bielefeld district of Senne, the Museum Osthusschule provides insights into the region's school and local history, using a historic village school building dating from the Prussian era.

The ensemble consists of two building sections: a brick-faced school from 1895 houses a reconstructed classroom from around 1900, the former teacher's apartment, and a collection of agricultural implements. This building once served as the elementary school of the former municipality Senne I and also contained a small domestic wing. The museum's holdings were expanded in 2003 by the old Oldentrup elementary school, a building from 1832 that was relocated to Senne for the museum. The entire ensemble is protected as a listed historic monument.

Since its founding in 1995, the museum has presented, in several sections, the everyday life and working world of rural schooling. Historical lessons are demonstrated in the classroom; an adjoining wing addresses the life and economic circumstances of a village schoolteacher around 1800. In addition, the building houses the local archive of the Senne district, a butterfly collection, and other exhibits of agricultural tools.

The museum includes an outdoor area of about 7,000 m² with a rose garden, herb garden, and a forest nature trail, on which the annual GartenKunst-Fest takes place. It is operated by a volunteer-run support association; its operations are financed by donations from visitors.