WIESBADEN, Germany - It’s easy to find traces of the past mingled with modern structures wherever one looks in Germany.
But one open-air museum in the Taunus Mountains is dedicated strictly to showcasing what life was like in Hessen during the past 400 years.
Hessenpark, located near Neu-Anspach and not far from the reconstructed Roman Saalburg fortress, is chock full of centuries old half-timbered houses, churches, synagogues, schools, windmills and re-enactors demonstrating what it was like to live and work during a time when indoor plumbing and refrigeration were uncommon.
The large park area which covers some 150 acres offers a unique look at how things once were " including a time when many Hessians were leaving the region as either indentured servants, conscripted Soldiers to fight alongside the British or as emigrants on their way to new lives as pioneers in a very young United States of America.
And it keeps growing. Every year more rescued structures from villages thoughout Hessen are transported to the park to await rebuilding. Piles of timbers with small signs indicate the origin and shape of the structure which in the future will join the 100s of buildings which have already been meticulously restored and refurnished to give visitors an idea of what rural life was like before, during and after the industrial revolution.
On various days people dressed in period attire can be found in buildings and fields of the park practicing handicrafts and endeavors from an earlier time. As women in bonnets use scythes to mow down wild grass, in another section men and women work on looms to make cloth, with hand tools building barrels and clay to make pottery from the region.
A market square, located near the entrance of Hessenpark and surrounded by tall half-timbered buildings, contains a working bakery, guest house, cheese store and other establishments. The square is also frequently the site of markets whereby vendors from throughout Hessen gather to sell items from the region.
While strolling through the various “regions” of Hessenpark, one encounters grazing sheep, pigs, ducks, horses, a church cemetery, windmills, houses of worship and historical boundary markers. The border stones, gathered from each of Hessen’s regions, feature coats of arms and other markings " the oldest of which has a star from the county of Ziegenhain dating back to 1450.
Hessenpark is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the summer months through Oct. 31. In November it opens an hour later and closes an hour earlier. Admission is ,6 for adults, ,2.70 for children and ,12 for a family ticket.
For more information visit www.hessenpark.de.
Not far from Hessenpark are two other sites worth getting to know " the Roman Saalburg fortress and the Lochmühle amusement park. Visit the garrison’s home page at www.wiesbaden.army.mil/hunion/Travel/Taunusadventures.htm for more information.
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