Archaeological Open-Air Museum

The spring of 1975 a group of secondary school students found a silver treasure from 900 A.D., on a pasture nearby the bay of Bandelunda in Burs pastoral. According to the legend a powerful Viking chief "Stavar the Great" were to have lived here on this place called Stavgard. During the Viking era Stavgard had a large harbour. Excavations from the 1950's and 80's show evidence of intense trade in this well hidden harbour.

In 1991, a project group was organised to work on preparing offers in Nord-Sel in association with Kristin Lavransdatter and Sigrid Undset. At the same time, work was begun to make a film of the novel “The Bridal Wreath”. The film crew was looking for a suitable place for the outdoor scenes and they wanted to build a real farm, not just a prop farm that would be torn down after the last scene was shot.

The “Village Gaulois (MEEM)” serves humanitarian purposes. It is managed by the MEEM association and allocates each year 60% of its benefit of July and August to development aid’s actions in favour of the rural populations of the north of the Togo. In 1967, the war in Biafra, Nigeria upsets a teenager who pledges to help when adult.

In 1934, an extraordinarily well preserved Neolithic settlement was discovered at Pestenacker. The culture layer was maximum 1.2 metres thick. Mayor excavations took place as well between 1988-1993.

In October 1975, Bernard von Bredow found one of the largest mammoth skeletons in Europe. In 1991, he founded the Mammutheum where one can dive into the world of the mammoths and the mammoth hunters.

At the Dünsberg, you would find in the Iron Age a defended Oppidum or hillfort. Probably it plaid an important role until about the year 9 BC when the Roman influence became much bigger in this area. Excavations go back to as early as 1903.

The Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Living History was created in late 2006 in an effort to combine a living history and experimental archaeology. The CEA deals mainly with the period of Great Moravia. Attention goes to authenticity in presenting everyday lives of ordinary people, craftsmen and farmers, but also the nobility and clergy.

Gods-Graves-History. The Iron Age times of the Hallstatt People are livened up at “Celtic World Frög”. In this area, many grave mounds of that period were found, in one of which a wagon of the dead, made of lead was discovered. Following a path in between the grave mounds, the spectator ends at a show grave, an original mound which is prepared as a showcase.

The Fränkische Freilandmuseum Bad Windsheim exists since about 1979 and counts 45 hectares. There are about 100 original buildings on site in this ethnographic open air museum. The museum is known for its demonstrations of crafts like making furniture or wooden buildings, working stone, glass or forging iron. Passion plays are performed as well.

One of the most important cultural landscapes of Carinthia (Kärnten) is the Zollfeld. At the east side you will find the 1058 metres tall Magdalensberg. As early as 1502, a life size bronze statue was discovered here, marking the start of interest in the past of this mountain.