Archäologisches Freilichtmuseum Oerlinghausen, Open-air archaeological museum in Oerlinghausen, Germany

The Archäologisches Freilichtmuseum Oerlinghausen is an open-air museum with six large building complexes featuring reconstructed settlements and historical structures. These buildings illustrate human life from the Ice Age through the early medieval period.

The open-air museum opened in 1936 as the "Germanengehöft", the world's first open-air museum devoted to Germanic culture. It grew out of excavations led by Oerlinghausen schoolmaster Hermann Diekmann between 1926 and 1931. The first reconstructions, a dwelling and a smithy/pottery workshop, were built on the Barkhauser Berg by the Reichsbund für deutsche Vorgeschichte under Hans Reinerth. After wartime decline and a fire on 27 February 1974, the museum was rebuilt in its present form by 1979.

Visitors can try traditional handcraft techniques themselves, such as grinding grain or starting fires using historical methods. These hands-on activities help people understand how prehistoric communities managed their daily lives.

The museum is accessible from April through September, with extended hours on weekends and shortened hours in October. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes, as the grounds are large and require considerable walking.

The museum opened in 1936 as the world's first open-air museum devoted to Germanic culture, and its "Germanengehöft" was later used for SS political education. After a fire on 27 February 1974 it was rebuilt until 1979 with support from the Landschaftsverband Lippe and the town. In 2025 a 33-metre Iron Age longhouse replaced the dilapidated Bronze Age house, using almost two hundred oak trunks.