When in the 1980s the A44 near Düsseldorf was extended, traces of an Iron Age settlement of about 500 BC were found by archaeologist Dr. Ralf Lommerzheim. October 2000, just a few hundred metres away from the original site, the reconstruction of the settlement was officially started by Wolfgang Diedrich, mayor of nearby Ratingen and protector of the project.
Already May 2001 the opening celebration took place. The construction of the village was part of the 725 year jubilee of Ratingen and the EUROGA 2002, just to make clear how long the area had already been inhabited. Local materials were used as well as techniques, typical of the Iron Age as far as possible. The area consists out of a longhouse, fields and a garden. Further expansion is planned with for example a cultic area. Both the outbuildings were constructed by adolescents of the village Ratingen.
March 2004, the association „Eisenzeitliches Gehöft Ratingen e. V.“. Goal is to foster science and research into the PreRoman Iron Age and the Roman Era in Ratingen and its surroundings. This goal can be reached by means of experimental archaeology, seminars, lectures, events, site visits and of course mainly by running and maintaining the Iron Age settlement „Eisenzeitliches Gehöft Ratingen“.
