by G. Schöbel/R. Paardekooper
At the archaeological Theme Park Archeon (NL) in Alphen, on June 30th 2004 a new European project with participation of the archaeological open-air museums Archeon (NL), Araisi Lake Fortress (LV) and the Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen (DE) could start off. The first wooden floor parts for a Carolingian house were split out of a trunk by the representatives of the participating museums. This was done with wooden wedges and hammers. The project runs for one year. "Oak posts stood at the beginning of a new EU project of the European archaeological open-air museums (EXARC), that in June in Archeon (NL) took off. Director Jack Veldman (Archeon), Dr. Wim van der Weiden (European Museum Forum), Dr. Gunter Schöbel (Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen) and Nico P.M. Schoof (Mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn) jointly prepared the first fundaments for the Dutch partner. Early Medieval reconstructions as well as Stone and Bronze Age sceneries are set up simultaneously in Latvia and Germany."

Part of the goals is, in all three museums (under coordination of the Pfahlbaumuseum), to find out the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) with “Houses of Questions”, Info Points as well as “Time Islands” (Stone and Bronze Age, Early Middle Ages). These questions should be answered professionally and authentically with the means of the archaeological open-air museums. The questions and answers will be presented in 3 “Houses of Questions” in the 3 countries as well as in a website which is hosted by EXARC. Besides the 3 partners in this project, EXARC members will assist in getting the website truly multilingual as well as collecting the most important questions at their own museum. A goal is to collect the most important questions in the individual European open-air museums and connected to it, to add these in the 15 languages of Europe at the common platform. By this, the access to historical questions as well as the visit to the archaeological open-air museum should become easier. The project urges for an exchange of thoughts with archaeology over the own national borders within Europe.