Museumpark Orientalis, Open-air museum in Berg en Dal, Netherlands.
Museumpark Orientalis is an open-air museum in Berg en Dal, in the Dutch province of Gelderland, with reconstructed settlements from the ancient Near East. The grounds are divided into distinct areas, each representing a different region and period of the ancient world.
The museum was founded in 1911 as a Catholic devotional park called Heilig Land Stichting. It was renamed Bijbels Openluchtmuseum in 1968 and took on its current name, Museumpark Orientalis, in 2007.
The grounds bring three religious traditions side by side: a Jewish village, an Arabic community with a mosque, and early Christian buildings. Walking between these areas, visitors can notice how the traditions differ and where they connect.
The museum is open from March to October, with special winter events including a Festival of Light in December and January. Allow several hours to walk through all the areas without rushing.
An unfinished basilica from 1932 stands on the grounds, originally planned as the largest Sacred Heart basilica in Europe but never completed. It now serves as the museum's main building and its unfinished state is still visible from the outside.
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