Museumsdorf Düppel

Description

The Museumsdorf Düppel lies in the Krummes Fenn landscape conservation area in Berlin‑Nikolassee; it belongs to the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin and was founded in 1975. The name refers to the locality Düppel. On the site, a village and its surroundings have been reconstructed as they might have existed around 800 years ago. Today the site presents itself as a place of participation and sustainability, where medieval everyday life can be experienced vividly.

Archaeological finds point to an initial settlement as a palisade‑secured waystation around 1170, located roughly halfway between Saarmund and Spandau — about a day's journey for an ox team. This development took place during the territorial expansion following the conquest of the Margraviate of Brandenburg by the Ascanian Albrecht the Bear. Nearby there had apparently been a Slavic village at Machnow; in the 13th century Slavs and Germans probably merged into a mixed population. Excavations indicate that the inhabited village gradually took shape and, around 1230, comprised about eight farms arranged in a horseshoe around a large village green. The settlement remained small and was abandoned around 1230 — possibly in connection with the refounding of Zehlendorf on better clay soils. The discovery of a horse's head in a well suggests deliberate poisoning. The later desertion of the settlement was uncovered archaeologically and reconstructed; buildings and the surrounding landscape have been recreated over roughly eight hectares.

The museum village illustrates medieval beekeeping, pottery and smithing crafts, and peasant life. The circular path passes historic houses with traditional interiors and features a house with a tar hearth (Teerschwele), a bakehouse, a smithy, a potter's stall and a granary. On display are an excavated and a reconstructed well, as well as a palisade with a gate. Animal husbandry includes back‑breeds such as the Düppeler Weideschwein and the endangered sheep breed Skudden. Agricultural demonstrations explain the three‑field system, cottage gardens, high forest, wood pasture, meadows, pastures and a collection of wild plants. At events traditional craft techniques are demonstrated — from textile production and shoemaking to pottery and smithing, including spring‑pole turning and wood‑tar production; children can take part in medieval games. The offerings are complemented by an exhibition newly redesigned in 2018, featuring finds from the excavations, including a well lining, pottery sherds and spindle whorls, as well as works on breeding lines such as the pedigree of the Düppeler Weideschwein.