Time-traveling at Europe’s open-air museums
shows off his fine dishes and explains how he made his money by growing flax, which was then used to produce linen for undergarments (making heavy woolens more comfortable to wear).
In Oslo, Norway’s history is condensed into 160 historic buildings in the large Norwegian Folk Museum. In peak season, the park is buzzing with craftspeople engaged in their routines, barnyard animals roaming about, and live folk music and dancing. The museum’s evocative Gol Stave Church, built in 1212 in Hallingdal, was painstakingly reconstructed here. Across the park, the old town features apartments from various generations (including reconstructions of actual homes) and offers an intimate look at lifestyles here in 1905, 1930, 1950, 1979 and a modern-day Norwegian-Pakistani apartment.
While Stockholm’s and Oslo’s open-air museums focus on rural folk life, Den Gamle By in Aarhus shows Danish urban life through the centuries. A re-creation of a main square from the 1500s and 1600s includes the mayor’s house and the residence of a Danish noble. Life in the 20th century is represented by a 1927 hardware store and brewery (often selling samples), along with a 1970s street scene, complete with a hi-fi record shop.
In the Netherlands, to experience Dutch life through the ages, take a day trip from Amsterdam to the countryside, where open-air folk museums are a nostalgic escape featuring, of course, cheesemaking, windmills and wooden shoes. The lively Enkhuizen Zuiderzee Museum is a delight to explore, with entertainment for all the senses: Smell the wood fires and tanning vats, savor a bite of aged cheese and old-fashioned licorice, watch a windmill turn and catch the sound of wooden clogs on a brick road. Don’t be afraid to poke around; the curious get a lot more out of these museums.
Across the country in Arnhem, the Netherlands Open Air Museum is Holland’s first, biggest and best open-air folk museum. You’ll learn how the Dutch harnessed wind power through its beautiful windmills, and cross a yellow drawbridge dating from 1358 and see demonstrations of papermaking and the workings of a cheese and butter factory. Like most folk museums, Arnhem is especially appealing for families.
England is also home to fascinating folk museums. In northeast England near Newcastle upon Tyne, the Beamish Museum is a 300-acre “living museum,” which emulates life in in this region during the 1820s, 1900s and 1940s. Farther south in Ironbridge Gorge, birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, the Blists Hill Victorian Town is an immersive slice of Victorian industry, with factories and a re-created community from the 1890s. Pop in to say hello to the banker, the lady in the post office, the blacksmith and the girl in the candy shop. Stop by the pharmacy and check out the squirminducing setup of the dentist’s chair; it’ll make you appreciate the marvel of modern dental care.
Open-air folk museums teach artisan lifestyles and preserve a country’s heritage better than any other kind of museum. With no shortage of animals to feed, traditional crafts to learn and Old World culture to absorb, these parks are a great way to take time from your 21st-century vacation and immerse yourself in Europe’s past.