The Netherlands Open Air Museum

The museum was founded in 1912 on the wooded northern edge of Arnhem, opened to the public in 1918, and has been collecting buildings ever since: Frisian farmhouses, a paper mill from the Zaan, fishermen's cottages, a village laundry, a grocer's shop fitted out as it stood in the 1930s, a block of flats from the 1950s. Each was dismantled where it stood, moved and rebuilt across the park. What makes it work is that the buildings are used rather than roped off. Bread comes out of the ovens, paper is pulped, washing is boiled, and a restored tram line runs a circuit around the whole site with cars from Amsterdam, Arnhem, Rotterdam and The Hague.

History

In April 1912 Frederic Adolph Hoefer suggested a park like those he had seen in Scandinavia, since industrialisation and the growth of cities were wiping out regional differences, traditions and crafts. The park was established on 24 April 1912 and opened on 13 July 1918 with six buildings moved in from across the country, and a heritage tram line was added in 1996 (Wikipedia, Netherlands Open Air Museum).

Highlights

• The relocated buildings - farms, workshops and shops rebuilt piece by piece from across the country.
• The historic tram - restored city trams running a loop through the park.
• The working trades - baking, paper making, laundry and smithing done in front of you.
• The indoor history hall - a walk-through survey of Dutch life, useful before you go outside.

When to go

Almost everything is outdoors, so April to October is the sensible window, and a dry weekday outside the school holidays is calmest. Winter opening is shorter and only part of the site runs. Demonstrations follow a daily timetable posted at the entrance, so pick two or three and plan the walk around them.

What to expect

It is a lot of walking on gravel with little shelter, and a wet day here is a long one. Trade demonstrations run at set times only, so arriving at three means missing most of them. Weekends fill with families and school parties. The ticket is not cheap, and English labelling is thinner than the Dutch.

Nearby

The Hoge Veluwe heath and Arnhem's own centre are both close.

Key facts