The civil association Archaia is non-profit. Its mission is to protect, rescue and document archaeological monuments. Besides that, they work on education and raising awareness regarding archaeology and heritage protection. For this purpose, they have a archaeological park at Praha 6 – Liboc.
The activity park opened at the turn of 1995-1996 focussing on medieval work practices. Scientific experiment is executed and the work of archaeologists is presented to the public. The park can easily be reached by public transport from the centre of Prague.
The first house is rectangular and has a workshop or storage space and a lightweight floor construction with wattle and daub walls. The archaeological site of origin is St. Peter Poříčí in Prague 1. The second part of the park is a combination into an ideal reconstruction of a late-medieval farm. There is the farmhouse itself combined with a fenced area with a well with timber structure, a granary, a bread oven and a shed for storing hay.
In the park you will find a pottery and bread oven, a weaving workshop with a functional replica of a medieval loom and a restored treadle lathe for wood. One can use replicas of the original tools and equipment yourselves to try a number of everyday activities of the people who lived here in the past. Basic information about the constructed buildings and individual activities can be found on the information panels. Occasionally, events take place, which are announced on the website.
Archaia also organises a young archaeologist’s club, a Summer week of experimental archaeology for Prague children, an educational program for elementary and secondary schools, International Summer School of Archaeology and many other occasional events for the general public, specialist lectures fitting in the curriculum, archaeological research visits and excursions to archaeological sites at home and abroad.
