The Hitzacker Archaeological Centre (german: Archäologisches Zentrum Hitzacker) is an

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

open-air museum in Hitzacker in the German state of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

. The core theme of the museum is the presentation of

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

settlements. The museum has three reconstructed single-room houses (''Wohnstallhäuser'') or

longhouse A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America. Many were built from timber and often rep ...

s (''Langhäuser'') that combine livestock stalls and living accommodation under one roof, a burial hut (''Totenhütte'') and a pit-house (''Grubenhaus''), as they would have looked based on local

archaeological find An artifact, or artefact (see American and British English spelling differences), is a general term for an item made or given shape by humans, such as a tool or a work of art, especially an object of archaeological interest. In archaeology, the ...

s. The longhouses have been further enhanced by various, everyday household and handiwork items. One of the longhouses contains an exhibition of the important aspects of life in the Bronze Age some 3,000 years ago. The museum gives visitors a diverse range of historical activities such as bronze casting,

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

baking, ''Feuerschlagen'',

spinning Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

and

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

as well as modern activities to participate in and try out. In 1969 the first archaeological discoveries of ceramic shards and building floor plans were made during building work at Lake Hitzacker (''Hitzacker See''). Not until 1987 were planned archaeological digs carried out on the area, because the expansion of the lake and upgrade of a federal road endangered the

cultural monument A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage regist ...

s. The following years yielded further finds and floor plans. In 1990 the Hitzacker Archaeological Centre was founded due to the importance of these discoveries. The museum is sponsored by the Lüchow-Dannenberg District Archaeological Society (''Kreisarchäologie Lüchow-Dannenberg'') and the Society for the Hitzacker Archaeological Centre (''Förderverein Archäologisches Zentrum Hitzacker e.V.''). The open-air museum is a place recognised by the town of Hitzacker for registry office

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

s that are accompanied by a supporting programme by the museum.

Sources

* Arne Lucke: ''Zeitpfade - Mensch, Umwelt, Technik vor 3000 Jahren.'' Archäologisches Zentrum Hitzacker, Hitzacker 2002

External links

Pages on the Hitzacker Archaeological Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Archaeologisches Zentrum Hitzacker Museums in Lower Saxony Archaeological museums in Germany Archaeological sites in Germany Open-air museums in Germany

Sources

See also

External links