The vast Bokrijk Open-Air Museum is located in splendid and green surroundings, excellent for bike tours and hikes. The museum itself contains more than 100 perfectly restored historical buildings carefully taken apart all over Flanders, transported to Bokrijk, and rebuilt on-site.
Bokrijk is an open air museum in the tradition of Skansen, which reflects the social history and material culture of the Flemish provinces of Belgium. It was largely the creation of Dr J Weyns, its first director. It is part of the 540 ha Domein (i.e.estate) Bokrijk, which was acquired by the Province of Limburg in 1938 and is now a recreational centre, of which the museum forms one element.
Construction began in 1953 and the public were first admitted five years later. More than a hundred buildings are grouped in hamlets typifying various parts of Flanders, including a group of 16th and 17th century urban houses from Antwerp. Many of the buildings are from rural areas, they include not just farmhouses, some of which have tools for processing flax, but also a hut from the sandy heath lands of Koersel, and a house from Eksel once the home of Teutens, people who migrated each summer from Limburg to work in North Germany and Denmark. More strictly industrial buildings include two horse mills, a tower mill, two post mills, a water corn mill from Lummen-Rekhoven with an undershot wheel, and a water-powered oil mill with a horizontal crushing wheel of 1702. There are several bake-houses and a hop oven or oasthouse from West Flanders. There are also several toll-houses, a commercial brewery from the Maasland and a peat house from Kalmhout.
Over a vast area you can walk around from section to section and discover at your own pace the old barns, farmhouses, mills, etc… Everywhere you can see actors playing the parts of teacher, priest or farmer, involving the visitor in their daily work. Ancient crafts and techniques are demonstrated (blacksmith, shepherd, bakery, …)
This is really a fantastic place to spend a very relaxing day, picnic or eat in one of the inns or taverns. I would happily have given them a 10 out of 10 if it weren’t for the fact that the three historic mills on the museum grounds were quite neglected. There are two windmills: one was without blades; the second one was in a sad, dilapidated state
There is also one very nice watermill but the waterwheel was almost completely rotted away. Really a pity as all the other buildings were shipshape. So they got a nice 9,5 out of 10 and a request to restore the mills in working order, which would really make it the perfect place to visit.
UPDATE
But hold on! We revisited the Museum last year and saw with our own eyes that restorations are in full swing! Several houses and the two windmills plus the watermill are all going to be restored. It should all be finished by 2021. But will probably be delayed a bit due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bokrijk opened some 60 years ago now and despite the restorations in progress you should not hesitate to pay a visit.
In fact the ongoing work is perhaps even a reason to visit as you will get a unique view of how these old farms and houses were built. And of course the life reenactments of daily life in the previous centuries and traditional handicrafts are still very present.
All through this blog-post I add a few splendid photos to give you an idea of just how beautiful this pride of the Limburg is
