Museumsdorf Cloppenburg, © Museumsdorf Cloppenburg / MIC
© Museumsdorf Cloppenburg / MIC

The Nieder­sachsen Open-Air Mu­seum


The Museumsdorf Cloppenburg is the oldest museum village in Germany and presents over 50 buildings relating to rural life over the last 500 years. Here the everyday history of Niedersachsen comes to life: every Sunday, the museum offers guided tours on various themes and interactive activities for children. Whether baking bread in old stone ovens or dyeing clothes blue using historical methods, children can experience elements of daily life in times past in a fun and accessible way while their parents take part in the guided tours. Indeed, some visitors may find themselves longing for the supposed calm and contentment of bygone ages – when everyday life was not determined by computers, mobile phones and television but instead the family told stories around the warming fire. But although things may look romantic at first glance, a closer look reveals that these historic buildings were the scene of hard work. People work here as blacksmith, miller or farmer just as they did 200 years ago, and their main tool is their own muscles.