Thuringian Open Air Museum Hohenfelden
In the southeastern surroundings of Erfurt in the Weimarer Land.
More than 38 historical buildings from the 16th to the 20th century were collected from all parts of Thuringia and show how our ancestors lived. The houses tell about:
- Life and culture of the time
- Nutrition
- Tools
- Architecture
- Differences in social status
A museum site with a wide range
The museum site is divided into two locations. In the village itself there are the grounds of the vicarage with the vicarage house and outbuildings, as well as the one-class school, the brewery house, the day laborer's house and other historical farms.
On the museum grounds "Am Eichenberg" outside the village, historical buildings from various Thuringian villages have been moved. The palette includes:
- a stately homestead of wealthy farmers
- a village smithy
- a Bockwindmühle
- a half-timbered house
- a pottery
- a meager communal shepherd's house
The museum buildings are presented in an environment recreated from their original locations. This includes farm gardens and fields as well as historical plant and animal species found at both sites. The "Am Eichenberg" site continues to grow and will gradually add more houses.
Program for visitors
From April to the end of October, visitors are offered a wide-ranging program of exhibitions and events, including:
- Demonstrations of traditional handicraft techniques
- Baking and harvest days
- Festivals such as Shepherd's Day, Oldtimer's Day, Cheese Market and Harvest Festival
For young and old, guided tours are offered during the season, as well as special hands-on activities for children. In addition, the "Alter Pfarrhof" (old vicarage) and the associated vicarage barn, as well as the brewery house, are home to changing special exhibitions on various cultural-historical, artistic, or craft topics.
On special brewing days, strong, dark beer is brewed in the museum brewhouse according to great-grandfather's recipe. Rest and relaxation can be found in the museum restaurant "Einkehr zur alten Pfarre" in the village of Hohenfelden, refreshments are also available in the historic lemonade pavilion "Am Eichenberg".
Der Wald ist das Kulturdenkmal des Jahres 2023. Aus diesem Anlass zeigt das Thüringer Freilichtmuseum Hohenfelden eine Sonderausstellung des Fotografenduos Hartmut Steckert und Isabell Daniel aus Kranichfeld und Rettwitz. Beide sind hier in der Region für ihre beeindruckenden Fotografien zu verschiedenen Themen bekannt. Ihnen gelingt es, scheinbar Altvertrautes durch neue Blickwinkel überraschend in Szene zu setzen. In Hohenfelden werden nicht nur Bäume und Baumporträts zu sehen sein, sondern auch große und kleine Waldbewohner wie Füchse und Rehe, heimische Pflanzen, Orchideen und Pilze.