The Mühlenhof open-air museum is a very special place, because here a piece of culture and history of the Münsterland region has been preserved with great passion. On the five-hectare site near Münster , 30 large and small buildings from the 16th to 19th centuries await visitors. Many of the buildings are original structures from that time and had their original location in rural Münsterland, while some others have been reconstructed according to old models. From the inside, the houses are furnished with historical goods so that visitors get a real impression of the habits and living conditions as well as working methods of the Münsterland of days gone by.
Learn more about the former Münsterland and experience with all your senses what life was like back then. Get a feel for how people lived, lived and worked here back then. These are the houses you can discover here:
The country school dating from 1823 originally came from the Ringel farming community near Lengerich in the north of Münsterland and was built for up to 130 children. The one-room half-timbered house was used for schooling until 1954. Learn more about how children were taught in rural Münsterland until the middle of the 20th century!
The mill house dates from 1619 and is the oldest building in the museum. In the past, as today, ham, bacon and sausages were smoked over an open fire in the house. For this purpose, the meat products were hung under the ceiling; there was no chimney. Unimaginable for many, but in the thatched two-storey house people lived together with the animals in a small space. The smoke from the fire still drifts through the house to the outside.
The Dorfkrug is the traditional village tavern where you can enjoy a seasonally changing menu and fresh cakes.
Are you interested in the crafts of the past centuries? Then why not visit the smithy, the shoemaker's house, the carpenter's workshop or the old bakery. In the Mühlenhof Open-Air Museum you can learn all about the typical crafts of the former Münsterland and much more besides. A special highlight is certainly the original Bockwindmühle (windmill ) dating from 1748. The mill is so special because it is the oldest type of windmill in Westphalia and was numerous in the Münsterland until the 19th century. Under good conditions, a good 40 to 50 hundredweights of grain could be ground with the mill that still exists today. A truly impressive building!
The Mühlenhof open-air museum is also a very special place for children, and there are always great activities on offer , such as fabric printing workshops or fairy tale lessons. It's always worth taking a look at the museum's calendar of events!
Einlass bis 16:00 Uhr.
Außer am 24./25./26./31.12. und 01.01. ist das Freilichtmuseum an allen Feiertagen geöffnet.
Einlass bis 17:00 Uhr
Außer am 24./25./26./31.12. und 01.01. ist das Freilichtmuseum an allen Feiertagen geöffnet.
*Concessions for people with disabilities, trainees, members of voluntary services, students, recipients of benefits according to SGB I /III/XII
**Parents or grandparents with their own children up to 17 years
The climate has an impact on the earth and on us humans, and this is precisely what the special exhibition at the LWL Museum of Natural History is about. Guests are taken on a journey through the past, present and future on 1,000 square metres and can become active climate researchers themselves. The exhibition appeals to all the senses and offers interesting facts for young and old.
Together with the Allwetterzoo, the Westphalian Horse Museum is showing the special exhibition "PLAYMOBIL Animal Stories - Diorama Artist Oliver Schaffer". On display are a total of 13 impressive and colourful PLAYMOBIL worlds on the themes of "Horses" and "Wild Animals". The exhibition presents the common history of man and horse and takes visitors young and old on a voyage of discovery to three of the five climate zones of our earth: tropics, subtropics and temperate zone. The exhibition is based on the concept of the all-weather zoo, which is arranged according to these three climate zones.
In the subtropics, visitors can experience, among other things, the great animal migrations of East Africa or the endangered calicoes on Madagascar. In the Tropics, anteaters and countless other animals await discovery in the green jungle. Last but not least, the temperate zone also takes us to our latitudes and shows us, with the help of a seal bank in the North Sea, which fantastic natural areas lie right on our doorstep.
In the "Man and Horse" section, the development from the prehistoric horse to the ice-age horse to the modern show horse can be seen. But topics such as the Dülmen horses, horse graves or the horse in the Middle Ages are also traced in detail.
Another area is dedicated to the new Meranti Hall of the Allwetterzoos and the Westphalian Horse Museum. In this way, the close partnership between the two popular Münster institutions is made visible and tangible in the exhibition.
"PLAYMOBIL Animal Stories" is not only an exhibition that is beautiful to look at, but also has an educational mission: for example, it offers playful access to the climatic zones of our world and their ecological conditions.
*Der Besuch des Pferdemuseums ist im Zooeintritt enthalten.
On every 1st Friday of the month from 9 am, dogs and their owners are allowed into the exhibitions of the Westphalian Horse Museum.
*Der Besuch des Pferdemuseums ist im Zooeintritt enthalten.
On 8 October 2023, a horse experience day will take place at the Westphalian Horse Museum in Münster. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., all visitors will have the opportunity to experience horses up close and playfully engage with the topic of horses. The programme includes face painting and film screenings, a handicraft activity and a quiz through the exhibition.
And of course, contact with the "real" horse will not be neglected: the Shire Connection Schönborn from Katzwinkel will be presenting the largest horse breed in the world. If you want, you can stroke the impressive Shire Horses, have your photo taken with them - and if you dare, you can even sit on them.
A real film star will also be there: Shire Horse "Warrior" was one of the animal protagonists in the film "Immenhof 2 - The Great Promise" and played "Mr. Big" there. On this day, the team of the Shire Connection Schönborn reports on what the filming looked like and how "Warrior" was prepared for his role as an actor.
*Der Besuch des Pferdemuseums ist im Zooeintritt enthalten.