Torf- und Siedlungsmuseum
Museum village in the Wiesmoor landscape park on the colonization of the moor, with settlers' houses, village school, peat excavators and a narrow-gauge tram line.
About the museum
The museum is run by the friends' association for the preservation of moor heritage (Förderverein zur Erhaltung des moorkundlichen Heimatgutes), founded in 1985. Together with what was then the municipality and is now the town of Wiesmoor, it set out to bring to life the settlers' lives from the colonization of the moor beginning in 1780 to the large-scale reclamation of the Wiesmoor from 1906. The association looks after the grounds in cooperation with the local tourism company.
The founding date is considered to be 1988, when the association rebuilt a settler's house from around 1900 – a scaled-down East Frisian Gulf house with living quarters, a box bed alcove and a milk room. Further buildings were gradually added: a freestanding bakehouse, a barn, a smithy, a coach house, a one-room village school and a second settler's house with a historic wedding room from 1935. In the village school, the former headmaster Harm Eilers, a founding member of the association, long demonstrated lessons in the old style.
Since 2011, a new entrance building has welcomed visitors. It houses a replica general store and a Fehn tavern whose bar comes from a demolished inn in Wilhelmsfehn. On the open-air grounds are large machines from 20th-century industrial peat extraction, a frame saw, two Fehn boats, a farmhouse garden and a boardwalk. A tram line on converted peat wagons connects the museum village with the Blumenhalle (flower hall), also called the Blumenreich.
Highlights
- Rebuilt settler's house from around 1900
- One-room village school with lessons by the old rules
- Large peat extraction machines and two Fehn boats
- Tram line on converted peat wagons
- Historic wedding room from 1935
Permanent exhibitions
- Museumsdorf zur Moorkolonisation – Settlers' houses, village school, smithy, bakehouse and large equipment from peat extraction show how settlers reclaimed the East Frisian moor from the late 18th century onward.
- Founded
- 1988
- Operated by
- Förderverein zur Erhaltung des moorkundlichen Heimatgutes e. V.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and teenagers up to age 18 free |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Guided tour for groups of 10 or more people €2 per person. Group package with admission, guided tour, East Frisian tea with raisin bread or lard bread, and a ride on the museum railway from the Blumenhalle €12 per person, with a historic school lesson €14. |
| Ride on the museum railway from the Blumenhalle and back | €2 |
| Historic school lesson (groups of 10 to 25 people) | €2Per person |
Cash only, no card payments.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- 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
The premises and the tram line are wheelchair-accessible.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
By car
Free parking at the Blumenreich; from there the tram line runs to the museum for registered groups.
The museum village is located in the Wiesmoor landscape park.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
The Fehn tavern in the entrance building serves East Frisian tea with raisin bread or lard bread.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Weddings / ceremonies
Civil weddings in the historic wedding room from 1935, with a ride on the tram line on request; the taproom of the Fehn tavern is used for meetings, readings and similar occasions.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Expert guided tours for groups of 10 or more people, lessons in the historic classroom and baking days in the bakehouse for groups by registration at anmeldung@torf-und-siedlungsmuseum.de. The tram line runs for registered groups and wedding parties. Dogs are welcome. |
