Openluchtmuseum Het Hoogeland
Open-air museum on the terp of Warffum with houses, school, almshouse and mill showing village life in northern Groningen around 1900.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The open-air museum was founded in 1959 as the "Stichting Landbouwkundig, Oudheidkundig, Kunstminnend Museum Het Hoogeland". The aim was and is to collect, preserve and show everything that once made up the life, housing and work of the Groningen rural population. The site is located on the highest point of the terp in the middle of Warffum; in 1959 there were ten dwellings, two school buildings and a stable. Most of the buildings are still in their original place and were supplemented by a few buildings from the surrounding area. A separate foundation was established for the buildings in 1983.
Over the decades further houses were added, so that today the museum shows a terp village of the 19th and early 20th centuries: with a one-room labourer's house from around 1820, a caravan from around 1920, a small reclining hut for tuberculosis patients, the 18th-century almshouse for single poor women and the mill De David. The school from 1887 and the schoolmaster's house from 1884 are national monuments; the former infant school with gymnasium from 1903 now houses the museum café Het Spijslokaal.
The entire museum is currently being refurbished, but remains accessible. Since 1 October 2026 Margriet Dijk has been the director.
Highlights
- Terp village with houses, school and workshops from the 19th century
- 18th-century almshouse with a modern exhibition on the history of poverty
- Archaeological collection and historic classroom
- Mill De David and museum garden
- Museum café Het Spijslokaal in the school from 1903
Permanent exhibitions
- Gasthuis – Former 18th-century almshouse for single poor women with a modern exhibition on the development of poverty up to the present.
- Plattelandsleven in de 19e eeuw – The terp village with dwellings, workshops, shops and old church paths shows the life of gentleman farmers, labourers and village craftsmen in the 19th century.
- Archäologische Sammlung und Klaslokaal – Finds from the terp landscape and a historic classroom in the main building, which can also be visited during the redesign.
- Founded
- 1959
- Director
- Margriet Dijk
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €9.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4.75CJP and Collegekaart holders |
| Children & teens | €3.50free up to age 5 · Children up to 5 years free; 6 to 17 years €3.50. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount stated. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · Companions of visitors who cannot get around the museum independently, as well as of care and school groups, have free admission (register at reception beforehand). |
| Students & apprentices | €4.75With Collegekaart. |
| Groups (15+ people) | €7.50 per personFrom 15 people €7.50, from 30 people €6 per person; school classes €4 (supervisors free). Introduction on request €25 per group (not on Sundays). |
Free with Museumkaart, as well as for members of the Vereniging Rembrandt, ICOM card holders and donors.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The grounds with clinker brick paths are reasonably to easily passable for wheelchairs and rollators, but some historic buildings are only partly accessible or not accessible; less suitable for heavy electric wheelchairs. Rollator and loan wheelchair free of charge at reception (reserve beforehand), two disabled parking spaces at the entrance, accessible toilet in the Spijslokaal. Museumpictokaart available to borrow for communication; suitable for visitors sensitive to stimuli. Only KNGF-registered assistance dogs allowed.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Playground / play area
Free search-game rally "Brief aan de Toekomst" for children from 6 to 12 years; school projects with the museum cat "Mies"; (play) garden at the terrace of the Spijslokaal.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Bahnhof Warffum
Train from Groningen (towards Roodeschool/Eemshaven) to Warffum station, twice an hour on weekdays and Saturdays, once an hour on Sundays; from there a few minutes on foot.
By car
Free parking · 5-min walk to the entrance
Free parking throughout Warffum: on Schoolstraat, at the junction of Oosterstraat/Noorderstraat and on Stationsweg by the harbour. Car park Op Roakeldais (Oostervalge 52a) about 5 minutes on foot, with coach parking there too; two disabled parking spaces at the entrance.
- Accessible parking
By car from Groningen towards Winsum and follow the signs; from Appingedam via the N33 and N363 to Warffum.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
- Lockers
Museum café and restaurant Het Spijslokaal (leased, with terrace and play garden); museum shop with regional products, also accessible without admission, and tourist information point; free lockers at the ticket desk (bags larger than A4 not allowed).
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
- Weddings / ceremonies
Up to 80 guests.
Auditorium in the former gymnasium from 1903 (Het Spijslokaal) with projector and sound, up to 80 people in theatre-style seating; can also be booked for concerts, weddings and receptions.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Introduction for groups on request. Dogs are not allowed (except assistance dogs). School programmes for primary school (Mispoes!, Over de Dingen die voorbijgaan, Een dag uit het leven van Jet & Jan, Brief aan de Toekomst), visit approx. 1.5 to 2 hours. |
