The Rischmannshof Heath Museum (German: ''Heidemuseum Rischmannshof'') is an
open-air museum
An open-air museum is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts outdoors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum.
Definition
Open air is "the unconfined atmosphere ... outside buildings" ...
in
Walsrode, Germany.
History
Rischmannshof was opened in 1912 as one of the first open-air museums in Germany. The museum consists of a rural farmyard with outbuildings and other exhibits. The heart of the site is a
thatched,
timber-framed hall house (''Fachhallenhaus'') built as a
two-post farmhouse dating to 1798. This originally stood in
Hartem near
Fallingbostel
Bad Fallingbostel (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bad Fambossel'') is the district town (''Kreisstadt'') of the Heidekreis, Heidekreis district in the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and ha ...
and was reconstructed in Walsrode. In addition the site has the house of a
hireling (''Heuerling'' or ''Häusling'') originally from Fulde and about the same age, as well as a type of
apiary
An apiary (also known as a bee yard) is a location where Beehive (beekeeping), beehives of honey bees are kept. Apiaries come in many sizes and can be rural or urban depending on the honey production operation. Furthermore, an apiary may refer to ...
, known locally as a ''Bienenzaun''. A ''
Treppenspeicher'' storage barn from Oberndorfmark dates back to 1669. Not until some time later was the site enhanced with a bakehouse from the year 1752 and a timber-framed barn with a workshop from 1842.
There is a branch of the museum in the old village school in Klein Eilstorf which itself dates back to 1900.
Exhibitions
The main building was designed as a
Low German house and its ground floor has the traditional division of living accommodation (''Dönzen''), an open kitchen (''Flett'') with a fireplace and a hall with livestock bays or stalls (''Stallungen''). The atmosphere is modelled on a typical heath farmhouse with appropriate furniture and implements. On the upper floor of the building is a
Hans Brüggemann exhibition, depicting some of the history of the town of
Walsrode and the
Hermann Löns Room. In the Löns Room are original objects and furniture belonging to the poet and author, as well as first editions of his works,
autograph
An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Intern ...
s and publications.
Image:Rischmannshof Eingang.jpg, Museum entrance in the main building
Image:Rischmannshof Gelände.jpg, Outside area with the '' Treppenspeicher'' of 1669
Image:Löns Zimmer.jpg, The Hermann Löns Room in the museum
Image:Rischmannshof Haus.jpg, Historic buildings on the museum site
Literature
* Gernot Erler, Horst Appuhn u. Heino Petersen: ''Heidehofensemble Rischmannshof. Das Heidemuseum in Walsrode als ein Heimatmuseum der Heide. Der Museumsführer.'' Bund der Freunde des Heidemuseums, Walsrode 1987
External links
www.heidemuseum-walsrode.de Museum websiteDas Heidemuseum auf der Website der Stadt Walsrode
{{Coord, 52, 51, 43.4844, N, 9, 35, 1.12, E, type:landmark_region:DE-NI, display=title
Walsrode
Lüneburg Heath
Heidmark
Open-air museums in Germany
Museums in Lower Saxony
Museums established in 1912
1912 establishments in Germany