Bokrijk

It is known for its open-air museum which displays a large collection of historical buildings from across Flanders which presents the history of rural life in the region.

The domain is 5.5 square kilometres (2.1 sq mi) in area and also hosts an important botanical garden (arboretum), nature reserve, and the largest open-air playground in Flanders.

In 1797 French Revolutionaries seized all properties of the Cistercian abbey and the same year sold it to a private investor from Maastricht.

On 21 March 1938 the provincial government of Limburg, inspired by Governor Hubert Verwilghen, acquired Bokrijk.

His vision would be realized years later under the dynamic impulse of provincial governor Louis Roppe.

On 6 October 1953 the Provincial Council of the Province of Limburg decided to create an open-air museum in Bokrijk.

With the post-war industrial revolution and the increasing development projects of the 1950s, Flanders's living environment was drastically changing.

Dr Jozef Weyns was appointed to coordinate the project and remained in function as first conservator of the Open Air Museum of Bokrijk.

The museum opened to the public on 12 April 1958 as a contribution of the province of Limburg to the Expo '58 (Brussels World's Fair).

The museum has reproduced the traditional timber farm dwellings typical of the region as it was over a century ago.

Consisting of nineteen lakes and fifty acres of woodland, thickets and marsh, the site is managed by Natuurpunt [nl].