Tap to explore
1. Norsk Folkemuseum, Norway
The Norsk Folkemuseum at Bygdøy, Oslo, has been open to the public since 2001. The museum collects together vernacular architecture from across Norway, as well as a large photographic collection of folk life, clothing, textiles, tools, and 'working memories'.
Tap to explore
The oldest parts of the The Gol Stave Church have been dated back to 1157CE. In 1880 the church was originally in the town of Gol, and was saved from destruction by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments, who moved it to this location in 1885.
Tap to explore
2. The National Folk Museum of Korea
The museum is found within the grounds of the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. It holds many original artefacts, and uses replicas to bring the folk history of the Korean people, from prehistoric times to the end of the Joseon Dynasty in 1910, to life.
Tap to explore
The museum also features open-air exhibits, such as replicas of spirit posts where villagers used to pray, stone piles for worship, grinding mills, rice storage shelters and pits for kimchi pots.
Tap to explore
3. The Museum of English Rural Life
The MERL is a museum, library and archive dedicated to recording the changing practices of farming and the countryside in England. It holds objects, archives, photographs, film and books that have been declared of national importance.
Tap to explore
But the museum doesn't neglect the living history of the countryside. It also aims to use the skills and experiences of farmers and craftspeople to try and help shape the experiences of people today, and those of future generations.
Tap to explore
4. National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, India
The museum was established in 1956 as a location for craftspeople from across India to share their skills and preserve their traditional arts and technologies, in the face of increasingly industrialised production.
Tap to explore
The museum also contains a village complex spread over 2 hectares, with 15 structures representing village dwellings, courtyards, and shrines from different states of India. Today several craftspeople are in residence at the museum, and can be seen working in the village.
Tap to explore
5. Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, United States
Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history folk museum that recreates part of the historic city of Williamsburg, the former capital of colonial-era Virginia. The museum grounds contain several hundred restored and reconstructed buildings dating to the 17th and 19th centuries.
Tap to explore
One such building is Elkanah Deane's wheelwright shop, established in 1772. The modern building is a reproduction built in the 1930s, but it's based on the original excavated foundations. Today it's staffed by a team of genuine wheelwrights.
Tap to explore
6. Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village, Japan
Some 30 farm buildings from various regions of Japan are collected together at the Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village, sited on a picturesque hillside overlooking the Takayama Valley of Gifu Prefecture.
Tap to explore
Many of the buildings are open to the public, and filled with typical furniture and fittings of their era. Various crafts are represented: silkworm hatcheries were vital to many farmhouses, as was wood carving, weaving, and lacquer work.
Tap to explore
Discover more magical museums by visiting 10 Amazing Open Air Museums
