Archaeological Museum in Biskupin

Poland, Poland

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The Archaeological Museum in Biskupin, Poland, is a renowned open-air site preserving and reconstructing a fortified Iron Age settlement from around 750 BC belonging to the Lusatian culture, discovered in 1933 by local teacher Walenty Szwajcer in wetlands 80 km northeast of Poznań. Excavations began in 1934 under archaeologists Józef Kostrzewski and Zdzisław Rajewski, revealing over 100 timber houses within a 2-hectare wooden palisade on a promontory, exceptionally preserved by peat, with early reconstructions starting in 1936 and continuing postwar until 1974 despite Nazi-era misuse for propaganda. Today spanning 24 hectares, it features full-scale replicas of homes, workshops, kilns, and early medieval structures, hosts Europe's largest archaeology festival in September with hands-on crafts like bread baking and pottery firing, and educates on prehistoric life through exhibits, a zoo of ancient livestock breeds, and trails across Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages.