Arnhem Open Air Museum

Arnhem, the Netherlands

 

 

We are traveling through the Netherlands and

today we visited the Open Air Museum in Arnhem.

 

 

Wherever I happen to travel, if I see this type

I HAVE to visit.  I learn so much about a place

by viewing a sampling of their houses.

 

 

Usually, this type of museum has a collection

of homes and historic buildings from around

the region.

 

Check out that fabulous roof!

 

 

At this museum there are many buildings,

they show how people lived and worked.

 

 

They show home styles from the very poor

day laborers to the wealthy.

 

 

I want to have a small cottage with these

little cubby hole beds.  There is only room

for the mattress.  It looks so cosy.

 

 

This is a unique structure.  It is a small

cottage for a TB patient.  Notice it is on

a turntable so the building can be moved

to be in the sun and to catch the breeze.

 

 

There is an old store selling unique items.

 

 

And of course, wooden shoes...

 

 

After walking around for over 5 hours, I

was exhausted.  I went inside a windmill

and started watching a video.  The video

told of when the townspeople of Arnhem

were forced to leave their town during WWII.

They packed their belongings in baby carriages

and carts pulled by bicycles and headed out

into the streets.  Some of them went to the

museum I was visiting.  I didn't even know

that museum existed in the 40's.  At the time,

600 people from the town went to live in some

of the very houses I had toured that day.

 

 

It wasn't until later in the day when I was

back in town, that I found out that day was

Memorial Day in the Netherlands.  That

made our visit even more special.