Archaeological Open-Air Museum

Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture (JP)

Member of EXARC
No

The Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture is one of the few museums in Japan dedicated to the history of international exchange. The Museum holds approximately 81,000 objects in its precious collection, including historical documents, art and craftworks that tell the story of Nagasaki, the sole window open to foreign countries during the period of Japan’s national isolation. 

In addition, part of the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office (a local agency of the central government in the Edo period called bugyōsho) has been faithfully reconstructed based on historical materials, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of feudal Japan. The craft center offers hands-on classes of Nagasaki’s traditional crafts.

Engaging Diverse Audiences at the Archaeological Open-Air Museum Düppel in Berlin – Practical Examples and New Strategies

Julia Heeb (DE)
EXARC Journal Issue 2019/3
Archaeological Open-Air Museum
2018 EXARC in Kernave
***In 1939, a boy called Horst Trzeciak was playing on a piece of land on the outskirts of Berlin. While playing, he found a number of pottery sherds. In an exemplary fashion he brought the sherds to the “Märkisches Provinzialmuseum”, which was, at that time, the city museum of Berlin...

Bostel di Rotzo & Museo Archeologico Sette Comuni (MASC) (IT)

Member of EXARC
Yes

The Bostel di Rotzo is located in the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni on a well-defended plateau where the Assa and the Astico valleys meet, north of Vicenza and only a few kilometers from Asiago. Bostel di Rotzo is the first permanent village in the 'Sette Comuni Altopiano' to have been steadily settled by ancient people throughout the second half of the Iron Age (5th – 1st century BC).

The Bostel di Rotzo is located in the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni on a well-defended plateau where the Assa and the Astico valleys meet, north of Vicenza and only a few kilometers from Asiago. Bostel di Rotzo is the...

Historiecenter Dybbøl Banke (DK)

Member of EXARC
Yes

We are in the dramatic year 1864. The Battle on the 18th of April was the most bloody in Denmark in the Newer Era, the last big battle on Danish soil. Denmark is at war with the large powers of Europe: Prussia and Austria.

We are in the dramatic year 1864. The Battle on the 18th of April was the most bloody in Denmark in the Newer Era, the last big battle on Danish soil. Denmark is at war with the large powers of Europe: Prussia and Austria...

Colonial Williamsburg: Archaeology, Interpretation & Phenomenology

Peter Inker (US)
EXARC Journal Issue 2019/3
Archaeological Open-Air Museum
2018 EXARC in Kernave
***When I began investigating this conference I was unclear as to how well EXARC’s focus on experimental archaeology would blend with International Museum Theatre Alliance (Imtal)’s approach of museum theatre and interpretation. They seem after all, two very different disciplines...

Randa Ardesca - Archéosite d'Ardèche (FR)

Member of EXARC
Yes

Randa Ardesca - Archéosite d'Ardèche is an open-air museum which was founded in 2013 in the French department of Ardèche, and open to the public since 2014. It was founded by professionals of Living History, crafts, culture and communication, willing to have a permanent place to conduct experiments, and bring living history to the eye of the public to share their work and passion. Their project was to introduce to the public historical periods which are rarely, if ever presented in the other open-air musems of south-eastern France, namely the Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Early Middle Ages, all based on archaeological records from the surrounding area. The project is now carried by a group of 16 co-presidents surrounded by volunteers.

The site's constructions are built with historical materials and techniques, most of the time in front of the public. Regularly, the site offers to anyone who wishes to partake in the adventure the occasion to join the building team, may they be experienced in historical construction or complete neophytes. These are crucial times of the year for us, allowing us to share the experience acquired over the course of the years, and to learn from people with different skillsets. This also make Randa Ardesca a very evolutive site, having each year something new to show the public.

Pentref Oes Haearn Castell Henllys (UK)

Member of EXARC
Yes

Castell Henllys Iron Age Village is an established visitor centre and heritage site near Newport in North Pembrokeshire where the experience promises to take the visitor back in time and immerse the senses in Iron Age life. It is the only reconstructed Iron Age village in the UK where the roundhouses and granary have been built on the site of the original post holes. The hill-fort has also become one of the most prominent images of Welsh prehistory.

Castell Henllys is an established visitor centre and heritage site near Newport in North Pembrokeshire where the experience promises to take the visitor back in time and immerse the senses in Iron Age life. It is the only reconstructed Iron Age village in the UK where the roundhouses and granary have been built on the site of the original post holes...

How to Make a Medieval Town Come Alive – the Use of Volunteers in Living History

Pia Bach and
Thit Birk Petersen (DK)
EXARC Journal Issue 2019/2
Archaeological Open-Air Museum
2018 EXARC in Kernave
***For over 25 years The Medieval Centre/Middelaldercentret in Nykøbing F. Denmark has used volunteers to inhabit the reconstructed medieval town of Sundkøbing. To combine the use of volunteers and living history is not easy or something that happens spontaneously. It is hard work and requires patience, strength and firmness, but also...

Archäologisches Landesmuseum Brandenburg (DE)

Member of EXARC
Yes

The Brandenburg State Authorities for Heritage Management and State Museum of Archaeology (BLDAM) is a state authority established by and directly supervised by the Brandenburg State Ministry of Culture and Science.

The mission of the BLDAM is the fulfilment of the public service remit for preservation and dissemination of the archaeological and historical heritage of the federal state of Brandenburg.

Re-opened in 2008 the State Museum of Archaeology is an extracurricular place of learning and the most important cultural ambassador of the state Brandenburg.
It presents the 130 000 years old history of the state in an innovative, interactive and modern exhibition. 

Prickett's Fort State Park (US)

Member of EXARC
No

Prickett’s Fort State Park, located five miles north of Fairmont in Marion County, features a reconstruction of the original Prickett's Fort. This historical park commemorates late 18th-century life on the Virginia frontier. The fort was built to defend early European settlers of what today is West Virginia from raids. 

Perched on a small rise overlooking the confluence of Prickett’s Creek and the Monongahela River, this rustic log fort is a re-creation of the original Prickett’s Fort of 1774, which served as a refuge from Native American war parties on the western frontier of Colonial Virginia. Built in 1976 by the Prickett’s Fort Memorial Foundation, the “new” fort serves as a living history site where interpreters recreate late 18th century lifestyle through period attire and demonstrations of a variety of colonial crafts.