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Museum Village Düppel

STEGLITZ

Berlin wears its 20th century scars so vividly that even unwitting visitors are confronted with reminders of war and division on a daily basis. Yet the city’s more extended history is often forgotten or ignored. One of the best places to decamp from the urban sprawl while discovering its medieval roots is the Düppel Museum Village.

A 20km trot in the direction of Wannsee brings you to an assembly of thatched cottages, storehouses, craft workshops, paddocks and gardens from the Middle Ages. All reconstructions, of course, but they’re built on the site of an actual 13th-century settlement (around 16 houses) that was excavated in 1967 and abandoned until the ’90s. A great deal of work has gone into filling in the gaps between now and eight hundred years ago, thanks to the ardent groups of volunteers and scientists who practice what is termed ‘experimental archaeology’.

In layman’s terms, this means that the museum has resurrected the old three-field crop rotation of the Middle Ages, discovering and cultivating old plant species and protecting domestic breeds like the Düppel pig, which the village has helped bring back from the brink of extinction. Associated buildings and rituals have been painstakingly researched too, drawing on remnants found at the original site.

The best time to visit, perhaps, is on a Sunday, when guided tours are available and the village ‘comes to life’ with volunteers dressed in cassock-like garments and offering presentations of handicraft techniques. Kids especially will love the opportunity to try out some wood-carving, pottery and waffle-making with antique equipment, as well as exploring the various houses, petting the pigs and sheep in the adjacent fields and playing with the historical games. There’s a gift shop and a simple stall selling sausages, cake and coffee. But an even better idea is to bring your own food and picnic blanket and spread yourself out beneath the generous shade of an apple tree...medieval style. PS

Clauertstr. 11, 14163; S Mexikoplatz, Bus 118, 622 to Clauertstr.; www.dueppel.de

Map: Overview C4