Archeon

Archeon opened in 1994 as an archaeological open-air museum on forty hectares at Alphen aan den Rijn, with buildings reconstructed from Dutch excavation evidence across three periods - Mesolithic and Neolithic huts and farms, a Roman section including a bathhouse, a temple and an amphitheatre, and a medieval town with houses and workshops. What distinguishes it from a display of reconstructions is that the buildings are worked: people in period dress do the actual crafts in them, smelting, potting, weaving, cooking, farming with old breeds and varieties, and a good deal of the work is experimental archaeology rather than performance - the museum has published on techniques tested here. Alphen sits on the Roman limes, the Rhine frontier, and a Roman ship excavated nearby is displayed in the associated museum. It is family-oriented and busy.

History

Archeon opened as a theme park in 1994 to show archaeology to the public and was near bankruptcy a year later, but it recovered and became an open-air museum reconstructing periods of Dutch history; the South Holland House of Archaeology opened at its entrance in 2011, and in 2015 it was recognised as a formal museum (Wikipedia, Archeon, Netherlands).

Highlights

• Three periods reconstructed - prehistoric, Roman and medieval buildings from Dutch evidence.
• Crafts worked, not shown - smelting, potting and farming carried out in the buildings.
• Experimental archaeology - techniques tested and published, not just demonstrated.
• A Roman ship - excavated on the limes nearby and displayed in the museum.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Good to know

Seasonal opening, closed in winter, and busy with school groups and families. The reconstructions are interpretations of evidence, which the museum is clear about. Outdoors throughout - wet weather is miserable.

Nearby

Avifauna bird park is in the same town; Leiden is west.

Key facts