Open-air museum

Common to all open-air museums, including the earliest ones of the 19th century, is the teaching of the history of everyday living by people from all segments of society.

The first proponent of the idea was the Swiss thinker Charles de Bonstetten, and was based on a visit to an exhibit of sculptures of Norwegian peasants in native costumes in the park of Fredensborg Palace in Denmark,"Valley of the Norsemen".

[5] In 1894 the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (Norsk Folkemuseum) was founded in Oslo by Hans Aall, inspired by Skansen.

Household tasks might include cooking on an open hearth, churning butter, spinning wool and weaving, and farming without modern equipment.

Many living museums feature traditional craftsmen at work, such as a blacksmith, pewtersmith, silversmith, weaver, tanner, armorer, cooper, potter, miller, sawyer, cabinet-maker, woodcarver, printer, doctor, and general storekeeper.

[8]: 154  The living museum is, therefore, viewed as an attempt to recreate to the fullest extent conditions of a culture, natural environment, or historical period.

The objective is immersion, using exhibits so that visitors can experience the specific culture, environment or historical period using the physical senses.

Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village , Takayama, Gifu , Japan
An aerial photograph of the open-air museum at Stará Ľubovňa , Slovakia
The World's first open-air museum, Swedish union King Oscar's Collection in Oslo . Wood engraving from the guide-book, 1888. Now part of Norsk Folkemuseum
A view of Skansen , the worlds first major open-air museum, around 1900
A view of the Farmers' Market in Merchant's Square in Colonial Williamsburg with map in foreground