Openluchtmuseum Bachten de Kupe, Open-air museum in Izenberge, Belgium.
Openluchtmuseum Bachten de Kupe is a reconstructed farming village in Izenberge, part of Alveringem, built up since 1971. Its 46 authentic buildings were moved here from across the Westhoek, among them a barn of 1759 from Leisele, a farmhouse predating 1650 from Beveren, a bakehouse of around 1800 from Veurne and a cart shed of 1760 from Hondschoote. The site also holds a Houtland farm and two horse mills.
The museum preserves structures from between 1650 and 1900, including a barn from 1759 and a farmhouse from before 1650. Some workers' houses were relocated from the villages of Krombeke and Oostvleteren and date from 1770-1780.
The name Bachten de Kupe is West Flemish for "behind the tub", the local term for the area west of the IJzer. The museum is nicknamed "little Bokrijk". Its archive has been kept since 2011 in the former town hall of Oostduinkerke.
The museum village is open from Easter to November, following the 2021 agreement with the municipality of Alveringem that brought in dozens of volunteers for refurbishment. Visits take place outdoors among the 46 buildings, so plan for the weather. The site lies in Izenberge, part of Alveringem in West Flanders.
The museum is nicknamed "little Bokrijk" and was built from 1971 onward by Marcel Messiaen, head of the local history circle Bachten de Kupe, and Louis Van Heule, pastor of Izenberge. Since 2011 its archive has been kept in the former town hall of Oostduinkerke.
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