Detmold Open Air Museum

A time travel into the past

Spacious grounds surrounded by beautiful nature and with historical buildings: in the LWL-Freilichtmuseum Detmold, Germany's largest open-air museum, you can spend a wonderful day with your family or with friends. In the workshops you can see the photographer, the blacksmith, the baker and the potter at work. In the gardens, laid out according to historical models, you can discover numerous old plant species and varieties. In the meadows you can still find old domestic breeds, some of which are threatened with extinction such as the "Senner" horses or the "Lippe" geese.

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Experience 500 years of history

Immerse yourself in rural life of yesteryear! The LWL Open-Air Museum Detmold showcases 500 years of Westphalian everyday culture across more than 90 hectares of green cultural landscape and in approximately 120 half-timbered buildings. Watch the baker or blacksmith at work in the workshops, or stroll through the gardens, which have been laid out according to historical models. You can experience entirely new and surprising perspectives on regional cultural history in the new museum building:

Starting in October 2026, the special exhibition “Materia” will explore the role of clay, wood, straw, and concrete in everyday life and culture, featuring items from the museum’s collection and works by regional and international artists.