Bauernhaus-Museum Vreden, Freilichtmuseum
The Bauernhaus-Museum Vreden is a collection of twelve historic farm buildings located in the city park that display how rural life looked in the Westmünsterland region. The site includes the main Früchting farmhouse, the smaller Kötterhaus, various working buildings such as barns and storage sheds, a functioning watermill, and a blacksmith's shop.
The museum began in the late 1960s when the town of Vreden and a local history group moved the main Früchting farmhouse to the park in 1967 and opened it to visitors in 1969. Additional buildings were gradually added over time, including a working watermill in the late 1990s and a blacksmith's shop in 2019.
The museum centers on the Früchting farmhouse, which belonged to a wealthier farming family and gives the museum its name. The layout tells a social story: the main house with better furnishings stands beside the smaller Kötterhaus where poorer farm workers lived, showing the class differences that existed in rural communities.
The buildings and outdoor areas are visible free of charge year-round from outside, while interiors are open mainly on weekends during warmer months. You can walk freely around the site and explore at your own pace, or join demonstrations of the working watermill and blacksmith shop when available.
The working watermill draws power from a nearby creek and operates during visitor demonstrations, showcasing milling techniques that have largely disappeared from modern practice. The blacksmith shop, opened in 2019 inside a converted sheep barn, displays craftsmanship methods that are rarely seen today.
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