Germany - Unteruhldingen, Pfahlbaumuseum

In the Pfahlbaumuseum in Unteruhldingen, pile dwellings from the Stone and Bronze Age (4,000 to 850 B.C.) come back to life in reconstructions. The museum provides an insight into the mysterious world of farmers, fishermen and bronze casters from prehistoric times.

About 6,000 years ago, the first farmers settled by the lakes around the Alps. They often built their villages directly on the water. By putting their houses on stilts, they had protection against damp soil and flooding. The important water, the fishing and a safe and convenient location on the major trade routes were probably reasons to settle here.

It was not until the end of the Bronze Age (850 B.C.) that climate change forced them back to the higher regions of thee inland. Since then, the remains of the sunken villages have been well protected in the lakes. Completely isolated from the air, the soil also contains organic remains that would otherwise have been rotten on land for a long time. Numerous finds allow an accurate reconstruction of the houses. During intensive underwater excavations, divers were able to store numerous objects: tools, bones, textiles and even the remains of meals.

Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen is one of Europe’s largest archaelogical open-air museums. It shows more than twenty reconstructed pile dwellings and replicas and original findings from excavations.