Approximately 30 cities, towns and villages between Aachen, Cologne and the Ruhr area, including Duisburg, Krefeld, Rheydt and Kommern (today part of Mechernich, but still independent at that time) applied for the privilege.

Major events are the Jahrmarkt anno dazumal ('Annual Market in the Year Dot'), which takes place from Easter Saturday to White Sunday, the Zeitblende ('Time Window'), which looks back 50 years to the Rhineland and the wider world, Nach der Ernte ('After the Harvest') on the third or fourth weekend in September and Advent für alle Sinne ('Advent for All Senses') in the first week of Advent.

Under the motto Gespielte Geschichte ('History in Action'), actors meet the visitors in the first person as historically identifiable people or as everyday folk from a particular time and social situation and "draw" the museum guests into the past.

The visitor walks through a historical avenue in an exhibition hall with more than 50 replica buildings from the Rhineland, in which scenarios about Rhenish history are presented.

Private photography is permitted in principle, but any publication of photos and videos, even on non-commercial platforms, is forbidden.