 2008 |
| 53 members /
.. Newsmails |
13th EXARC meeting
FFrom 8th to 10th February, representatives of the archaeological open-air museums in Europe met in the Danish Middelaldercentret, south of Copenhagen for their 13th meeting since 2001. The agenda involved, besides of the introduction of open-air museums that recently joint the association, the discussion of quality standards for this category of museums and the presentation of certification processes already effected in Germany. |
The association intends to associate the open-air museums with archaeological profile as a committee in the World Museum Association ICOM as, up to now, neither the European network of rural open-air museums nor the national museum associations could establish an unlimited acceptance within the existing organisations. After discussions with members of the executive board of ICOM and the World President Alessandra Cummins there are now possibilities, especially in the field of the presentation of the “intangible cultural heritage resources” to create a binding status for the tasks of archaeological open-air museums along a corresponding certification. The UNESCO convention of Paris of the year 2003 grants a special priority to the protection of immaterial cultural heritage, its documentation and mediation within “education and culture”.
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First flyer of EXARC
In the beginning of January EXARC developed a flyer and sent it to its members. It contains information about the association, the journal EuroREA and this website. EXARC members can order extra copies.
Also over 200 archaeological open air museums across Europe were contacted asking them to consider membership. Together with the letter a questionaire was sent to collect data about the museums and their recent development. EXARC has a reasonably good overview of what is happening with archaeological open air museums accross Europe, but would like to get a more detailed understanding. Only that way, we will be able to better represent these museums and to foster the contacts between them. |
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| 2007 |
| 48 members /
20 Newsmails |
3rd generation website
After 3 years, it was decided to prepare a new website. Not only did the graphic design need work: it was felt important to profile EXARC better: some of the content pages were already managed elsewhere and the EXARC website served as a portal. It was decided that the website should first and foremost inform about the association and its members, and on the second place be a starting point – a portal – for colleagues and others professionally interested in archaeological open air museums, living history museums and experimental archaeology.
4th EuroREA
September 2007, EuroREA 4/2007 was published, a bit thinner than in 2006 and progressively popular in content, without losing the high quality in editing and graphic design. |
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12th EXARC / 2nd liveARCH meeting
March 2007, EXARC met in Pitlochry, Scotland. This was a meeting, hosted by
the Scottish Crannog Centre. EXARC members were observers during the
2nd liveARCH conference themed with “the dialogue with visitors”. The conference was a great success and included an intensive workshop on interpreting history / archaeology as well as a one day conference with several presentations from various countries about the dialogue with visitors.
At the Annual General Meeting (AGM), a committee was installed to look into improving the EXARC constitution. This should enable EXARC to grow in the years to follow. Besides that, it should offer solutions to matters of defining ‘our kind of museums’ as well as being able to assess if our (prospective and current) members fall within such a definition. Maybe in the future, not only will we be able to state if an organisation fits our definitions or not, but will we be able to offer tools for self assessment and individual improvements. The committee convened in September in Denmark and advises the board.
After the AGM, the board counted 10 members from the ‘far north’ of Europe until the ‘deep south’. |
| 2006 |
| 41 members /
22 Newsmails |
liveARCH
The 3 year project liveARCH started in November 2006 and incorporated many ideas and wishes of EXARC. LiveARCH is expected to act as catalyser for EXARC, even though it are only 8 members of EXARC in this project. Subjects addressed in liveARCH are among others: quality, the public, science, crafts and marketing. For more information see our EU Projects pages and website: www.liveARCH.eu
Session EAA presenting experimental archaeology
In October, 3 EXARC members organised a session presenting experimental archaeology to a wider audience of archaeologists at the conference of the European Association of Archaeologists in Kraków, Poland.
3rd EuroREA
Autumn 2006, EuroREA 3/2006 was published: a glossy magazine counting 100 pages. This 3rd volume was published with a circulation of 1,000 pieces and was a goodbye present of SEA: from this moment on, EuroREA was in the hands of EXARC itself. |
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11th EXARC meeting
March 2006, EXARC met again in Százhalombatta, Hungary. This was the only conference of EXARC that year. The first three days, 24 EXARC participants from 10 countries joined into the 2nd International Conference on experimental archaeology and archaeological parks, which took place simultaneously, with over 20 presentations and 60 participants. On Saturday, we held an EXARC session at the conference with presentations by members and affiliates. |
| 2005 |
| 34 members /
30 Newsmails |
A 2nd EuroREA pocket was published with 160 pages. In 2007, both the first 2 volumes are practically sold out.
10th meeting of EXARC
The Living History Museums and archaeological open air museums of Europe join their resources. From 11th – 13th November, the members of EXARC met in Asparn an der Zaya (AT), north of Vienna. In the Metternich-Schloß, the director of the Niederösterreichisches Landesmuseum für Urgeschichte, Dr. Ernst Lauermann, welcomed the 25 museum directors and employees who travelled down to the meeting from Austria, Germany, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Hungary.
Focus of the conference was a closer cooperation and network of the members in an EU Project by the name LiveARCH. To reach this, different workgroups were established which will work on obligatory quality standards as well as joint strategies in education, training, offers and finances. This way, not only what is offered to the public should be better tuned with each other; it should be possible to transfer new ideas faster and more effective over all member’ museums. |
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9th EXARC meeting
In Spring 2005, members of EXARC convened for the 9th time, in Foteviken, Sweden. The initiators of this meeting were, besides EXARC, the EU-project BALTIC+, Region Scania, and The EU-project Destination Viking. 34 Participants from 5 countries joined in a two days seminar concerning the mediation of our living historical heritage, in Sweden and the rest of Europe. This to the background of the increasing number of 'living history museums' as well as re-enactment groups. This cultural pattern contributes with new attractions to the international tourist trade. It was discussed how networks like EXARC and Destination Viking could contribute to the mediation of cultural heritage. |
| 2004 |
| 30 members /
24 Newsmails |
2nd website
With the website maintenance moving to the Netherlands (where the secretariat is situated), the website was completely redesigned.
8th EXARC meeting
EXARC joined for its 8th meeting with over 40 participants from 10 countries in November 2004 at the Archaeological Museum Biskupin in Poland.
This meeting was meant as a work session on the INTERREG propositions of which more information under "EU projects". Besides that, different new members from Lithuania presented their organisations.
Plans for what was called “liveARCH” were presented in Autumn 2004 at the 8th EXARC Meeting, in Biskupin, Poland and accepted with applause. The plan eventually led to an application with 8 members of EXARC participating (see our EU Projects pages). |
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Presented at 8th EXARC meeting: 1st yearbook
Since 2000, the Czech Society for Experimental Archaeology (SEA), member of EXARC, publishes a yearbook on (re)construction and experiment in archaeology. The Czech book became more known abroad but the information was mostly inaccessible – even though articles were summarised in 3 languages and published on the Internet. Ever more foreign contributors found their way to publish in Czechia, but the need was felt for serving a larger public. The idea took shape to “go European”. In 2004, the first “EuroREA” was published – a joint venture between SEA & EXARC: a pocket of 200+ pages, mostly in English with an occasional French or German article and always summarised in the other two languages.
The editorial board is fully international with 12 members from 8 countries, including native speaking professionals in the three languages EuroREA is using.
Delphi
By mid 2004, a one year EU project, “Delphi” started, with the Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen (DE)(lead partner), Archeon (NL) and Araisi Archaeological Museum Park at the Latvian National History Museum (LV) searching, finding and presenting among others the questions which people visiting our places have regarding the past. Those questions and answers are presented in 3 “Houses of Questions” in the 3 countries as well as in a website which is hosted by EXARC. Besides the 3 partners in this project, EXARC members have assisted in getting the website truly multilingual as well as collecting the most important questions at their own museum. |
| 2003 |
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23 members / 18 Newsmails |
1st EU Project
At our 6th EXARC meeting in Autumn 2003 in Százhalombatta, Hungary information was shared between the members on the EU. Besides the meeting for members, about 7 presentations were given on ongoing or future projects in experimental archaeology and reconstruction. We are clear in what we want, we only need to cast it in a form. We were informed about CULTURE 2000 possibilities. “Delphi” (see our EU Projects pages) was born. Guests joined our meeting, from Rumania, showing there are promising developments in different regions of Europe, where EXARC is not yet that well represented. Different tasks were defined in Hungary, some of them for a better promotion and (political) visibility of EXARC and its members.
The year 2003 was the first year, EXARC presented a year report. The first financial report was presented to the members in Spring 2005, concerning the joint years 2003 – 2004.
The loss of our 1st President
At the end of the Summer of 2003, tragic news reached us that co-founder and first president of EXARC, Tomas Johansson, died. More information about this on our commemorative page. |
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Lejre – official founding
In March 2003, the members of EXARC convened in Lejre, Denmark. This Lejre meeting (5th EXARC meeting) formed a challenge because of the attempts to produce food for thought on content. Results are published on this website as well as in our magazine EuroREA. Besides of the content, presented both formally in lectures as informally during the tours, diners and the after program, we had an official session of the EXARC members. Here, all formalities and formulas were used in order to have EXARC officially founded as an association. It can be made clear: EXARC started in Oerlinghausen on February 16th, 2001 and was officially founded in Lejre on March 16th, 2003, exactly 25 months later! |
| 2002 |
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13 members / 16 Newsmails |
Unteruhldingen: our 1st guide presented
EXARC decided to organise another symposium in Autumn 2002, in Unteruhldingen, Germany, on "Archaeology and Interpretation". This 4th EXARC meeting was a success. A majority of members convened, together with more specialists. During the Seminar, the EXARC guide was presented, of which more under "publication". Participants got a clear view of how science and the public were dealt with in Unteruhldingen and Southern Germany in general. The technical matters we reviewed considered the legal status of EXARC and our website. We also agreed to encourage members to share information with EXARC itself about what they are doing, what events, which possible problems.
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click here for Newspaper's articles (3) on the 4th EXARC meeting in Unteruhldingen, 3 pages, 269 KB |
Riga – 80 participants
The first meeting which exceeded the technical level was in June 2002 in Latvia (it was the 3rd EXARC meeting organised by Araisi Archaeological Museum Park at the Latvian National History Museum), a symposium on “Ancient clothing and wooden buildings: research, reconstruction and ways of their modern use”.
In total about 80 participants were counted who spent two days exchanging thoughts, not only on the above mentioned two subjects, but as well on ancient jewellery and non-destructive methods of collecting archaeological data. |
The presentations of practical reconstructions were astonishing and it is difficult to pass on our impressions. An archive on this symposium is added to the website, under 'meetings'. In the margins of the seminar, EXARC held its board meeting, of which some immediate results were:
▪ We have exchanged a lot of thoughts on “quality”, being one of the major issues since the founding of EXARC two years go. We think we have found some ways to get progress in these matters, both in short term as with expected results further in the future.
▪ The thoughts on forming a second project with different members of EXARC, as many have shown to be interested in, were formed.
▪ EXARC keeps in touch with other initiatives, touching upon the same field as ours. We try to exchange information to see where we are standing stronger in cooperation and in which respects we are different from others.
▪ The Workgroup EXARC, founded in the year 2000, which needs extending. |
| 2001 |
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13 members / 11 Newsmails |
Eindhoven, a group of 30
The 2nd EXARC meeting. The workgroup planned to have two sessions yearly, the first of which in October 2001 at Historisch OpenluchtMuseum Eindhoven. In Eindhoven, a total of 30 people were present and it was difficult to get to know each other! The meeting took place in the shadow of the "9th Tagung International Conference on Experimental Archaeology" and was for most participants a good occasion to get to know both EXARC members as well as to get to know many other European experimental archaeologists. Although this meeting had an informal character, it was successful in its main goals: to spread information on the EXARC initiative among those closely interested and the base of every network: getting to know each other.
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click here for Newspaper's article on EXARC meeting in Eindhoven, 1 pages, 11 KB |
1st Website
In the early years of the association, EXARC kept up tempo in realising setting up a structure. Seen in the spirit of these days, most contacts and exchange of information take place by using the internet. A website was set up as well as an inventory of what can be found on which subject on which place in Europe, concerning knowledge and know-how. One of these components is an on line bibliography for experts, and a list of links to interesting websites. There is a more or less complete overview of all initiatives in Europe, both still existing as well as already lost parks. There should also attention be paid to getting a healthy financial basis for the international network. Since its beginning, EXARC has been communicating to its members and affiliates by e-mail newsletters.
Oerlinghausen, a group of 15
In February 2001, the first European meeting was organised by the initiative group, in Oerlinghausen, Germany.
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click here for the invitation for the meeting in Oerlinghausen, 4 pages, 94 KB |
Fifteen participants from six different countries convened. It was underlined again how much the archaeological museums have in common and how lonely they feel in their own environment. They are not seen as 'adult' by traditional museums. After all, the work is not about the old fashioned museum tasks, like collecting, keeping and researching of an own collection of original items. It is more about education on the one hand and research about the period and themes of the open air museum on the other. Besides that, it became painfully clear, that even though professional archaeologists are often closely involved in planning and building 1:1 constructions, soon after opening, they tend to leave such a project, ever to come back again. This way, the archaeological open air museums fall between two sides. Most museums realised, another common aspect was that they were mostly self supporting. This is a great contrast with the traditional ("showcase") museums and scientific institutes.
There were, however, more similarities in the daily practise. The points of attention of the Oerlinghausen meeting were amongst others keeping up quality, educational programs and management & public relations. One thought is for example to exchange specialists, both on archaeotechnical level as in management. For example in Poland, one has collected a lot of experience and knowledge when organising their large archaeological festivals, maybe this knowledge and experience is applicable in Germany? Or can the biannual conference 'archaeology and education' in Barcelona be useful as well for colleagues from Hungary?
'Quality' is especially in Germany a hot issue. Just like everywhere, all archaeological open air projects are booked full, long time ahead. In such a market, it is easy to copy ideas from an existing park, offering existing activities in another setting to school groups or tourists. The major problem, is that people starting a new park are 'bad quality thieves'. The quality of what is offered in a place where all initiatives are copied from somewhere else is often below average. Seen in this light, it is acrid when one hears the remark: "if the child is satisfied, already then I have reached my goal". Anybody with just a little bit experience knows that exactly this is not that difficult. The point is, however, that children and other visitors learn something of their experiences when visiting a museum like ours.
The people attending this 'Oerlinghausen meeting' were enthusiastic in continuing and decided to create a workgroup to start up an international network. The composition of the first group is partly based on coincidence. Because of circumstances, some people could or could not join us in Germany. Besides these Oerlinghausen participants, by the end of 2001, there was another group established of 31 affiliates from 14 different countries. |
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| Europe is getting smaller |
| Overview of backgrounds of EXARC |
Roeland Paardekooper
Over the years, EXARC evolved to become the established leading European network for archaeological open air museums.
There are international contacts between those interested in experimental archaeology and education already for a number of years. These are for example being fuelled during international conferences and foreign field trips. Most of those are at a personal level, based on opportunities. Those are very useful as there are not that many people in 'the business' with exactly the same experiences. For archaeological open air museums, those personal contacts are sometimes of life importance. One does not have to reinvent the wheel time after time, but one can ask one's colleagues how they have solved their problems in their own way.
Hengelo Meeting
Among others with this thought, in March 2000, 3 people came together: Martin Schmidt (DE), Tomas Johansson (SE) and Roeland Paardekooper (NL), an occasion which went into history as the 'Hengelo Meeting'. Soon we found out, there were about 300 archaeological open air museums in Europe, being open air facilities where buildings, objects and daily life of before 1492 is being shown, based on archaeological finds. In total, there are about 6 million visitors yearly, of which 1,5 million children, absolutely something to take into account.
During this Hengelo meeting, the foundations were laid for an European Network. There are so many activities in Europe concerning experimental archaeology and living history that there is a need for a network to exchange experiences. Financial hope is at EU level as well as at national level.
Every country different?
Things have gone fast after this session. In the course of 2000, the small initiative group became more and more convinced of the use and necessity of an international network. Different meetings of national networks abroad were visited (Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark) and it became clear, the same problems are arising everywhere. One question which everybody tried to answer was for example: how can one take care, seasonal workers will sign up again next season, next year? After all, we are not as strong as larger entertainment theme parks which officially have their seasonal workers working for them all year round, but "hire them" to other companies in wintertime.
In Sweden, the national network is relatively new and looks much different from the one in Denmark, but maybe one has to take into account, the network in Denmark is already fully functional for over a decade by now. Most people attending the meetings know each other already much longer and visit each other more easily apart from the official meetings. Try to do that in Sweden: from Malmö to the farthest archaeological museum is just as far as from Malmö to Middle Italy. The Swedish network only exists a few years by now and has 40 members.
A very special initiative started there in March 2000: a fair was organised around 'ancient technology', in Middle Sweden, in the city of Norrköpping. The target public did not exist of archaeological specialists; the fair was meant for the broader public and was a great success. Until that moment, the projects did not go public to try to attract more visitors. In the old days, there was enough attention for the projects, so no need for getting more PR.
In a way, one is already further in Denmark, where the platform of the so called 'historiske værksteder' counts over 80 members. Over there, they do have to deal with the 'law on the inhibiting lead': in Denmark, one might have been one of the first to unite themselves, but others who came in later have in certain ways surpassed them. If in Sweden most members have well running websites and even a rather extended 'internet portal', this is not that much the case in Denmark. Pity, it all depends on stolen hours of just a few people. There is still no money (not even in Denmark) to pay for such very necessary work, which goes beyond the importance and possibilities of individual projects.
What one does accomplish is organising courses for each other; the targeting group is not the local public, but the more experienced educational co-worker of this or that historical workshop. The workgroups of the national platform organise blacksmith weekends, agricultural activities and summer weeks to intensively exchange specific abilities and to be able to master them. Drama, role play or textiles are subjects as well of national activities in Denmark. But this country is much smaller and the projects are on short distance.
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