A huge challenge at present is the flow of refugees coming from countries like Syria. Our archaeological open-air museums are of higher relevance in this then you may think. We have seen such huge migrations in World History before and we always have been able to cope with it – our museums can show just that. Also, with a language barrier, our museums are the perfect place to explain, hands-on, about the past of the region around the museum: New Land to the refugees, Old Land to many others. Our museums are relevant to society, for cultural learning and to help the newcomers feel at home. With us, they learn cultural understanding.

EXARC is grateful to the OpenArch project for pointing us to this important role our museums have. Doing nothing is not an option, doing what we can do best is imperative. EXARC calls for all archaeological open-air museums across Europe to send us your stories on how you deal with the influx of refugees. This will be published online for others to take as example. Please send us your examples (with photos if possible) to: r.p.paardekooper@exarc.net.