Freilandmuseum Lehde

About the museum

The Lehde Open-Air Museum came about at the initiative of Gerhard Krüger, who had headed the Spreewald Museum in Lübbenau since 1956. From 1955, a vacant, dilapidated farmhouse in the Spreewald village was restored and furnished with inventory from the Lübbenau museum; the museum opened on July 26, 1957. It is regarded as the oldest open-air museum in Brandenburg.

In the following decades the complex grew to include buildings that were dismantled in other places in the Spreewald and rebuilt in Lehde. Today four historic farmsteads form the core: a farm from Lehde around 1850 with a combined house and stable, a farm from Burg around 1916, a farm from the edge of the Spreewald with the 1775 Haus Kittlitz as its oldest building, and the Oppott farm. Also on the grounds are a boat-building shop, bakehouse, farm garden, and an orchard meadow. Since 2000 the museum has belonged to the museum of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district.

The furnished parlors and farm buildings show the living, work, and customs of the Sorbian/Wendish and German rural population in the 19th and early 20th centuries – from traditional costume and Easter eggs to cucumber and horseradish growing. The Oppott farm, renovated in 2026, houses a second entrance, the museum shop, and a tourist information point.

Highlights

• Oldest open-air museum in Brandenburg (since 1957)
• Four rebuilt Spreewald farmsteads with furnished parlors
• Haus Kittlitz of 1775 as the oldest building
• Hands-on stations for washing laundry, milking, and walking in wooden clogs
• Boat-building shop and farm garden

Permanent exhibitions

• Die Höfe im Freilandmuseum Lehde – Four rebuilt farmsteads from Lehde, Burg, and the edge of the Spreewald show living and working in the countryside between about 1775 and 1920.

Founded

1957

Operated by

Landkreis Oberspreewald-Lausitz (Museum des Landkreises Oberspreewald-Lausitz)

Director

Stefan Heinz

Admission & discounts

Uniform prices for all museums of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district (valid from January 1, 2026). Guided tour fee for groups €50 plus admission.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Not wheelchair-accessible and only partly accessible for guests with walking difficulties: on the way to the museum and on the grounds, wooden bridges with steps must be crossed. In the farmhouses there are steps and thresholds, uneven floors, and low doors and ceilings. Adapted programs are being developed for groups with disabilities.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

At the activity areas marked with large wooden crates, children may wash laundry, practice milking, lie in the hay, and try old children's games. The character "Sophie, die Milchkanne" (Sophie the Milk Can) accompanies visitors through text panels and a family companion booklet; a family game (ages 4 and up, €2.50) leads through the grounds. Vacation programs and children's birthday parties (up to 12 children) are offered.

Getting there & parking

Lehde can be reached on foot, by bicycle, or by Spreewald punt; the last part of the way leads over wooden bridges with steps.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Two museum shops with Spreewald products; shady orchard meadow for resting; tourist information point in the Oppott farm.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 150 guests.

Civil and non-denominational weddings in the wedding room of the Altenteil (retirement cottage) (2–25 people); sparkling wine receptions and celebrations at the dovecote, in the garden of the culture barn (up to 50 people), and on the orchard and festival meadow (up to 150 people).

Plan your visit