Museumpark Archeon
Archeonlaan 1
2408 ZB Alphen aan den Rijn
Telephone: 0172-447 744
archeon website
info@archeon.nl
Opening Hours Summer Vacation Admission fees
Monday 26 July, 2 Aug, 9 Aug and 16 Aug open from 10 am - 5 pm
Open every Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5pm (check the website)
Visitors must book in advance on the website due to COVID19 rules
The weather is radiant and we have made online reservations, today we take our little knight to Museum Park Archeon in Alphen aan de Rijn. Archeon is a vast park in which you can discover everything about the Prehistory, the Roman Age, the Viking Age and the Middle Ages. Original houses from the different times have been built here, where you can meet people who will tell you much about living in those times. Believe us, they really know a lot about it and they are happy to tell you!
We go to the ticket booth to check in first, then we start in the Mesolithicum (the Middle Stone Age) (1 on the map)
We get to the hunter-gatherers first and this hunter-gatherer can tell you a lot about life in the middle stone age. The children can ask questions and a little further on older children (provided they have a swimming certificate!) can row in a tree trunk canoe. (2)
We see medieval people having a chat in the village square, maybe they just went shopping. There is, among other things, a basket weavers workshop (31), a wood and bone worker (33), a market with a fish bank and weigh house (39), a weaving mill (44) a baker shop with bakery (46) to see in the village. In the village are many old crafts to see and you can just walk in, to have a good look around. Or you can have your own chat with the kind village people.
The houses (34) are beautiful when inside but the life of mothers in that time was very different from now. There was no tap, if you needed water you had to go outside, to put water from the well.
You can imagine that bathing your 7, 8, 9 children(!) was very different back then, without water running from the tap. Just like doing the laundry, that must have been no fun either. On the other hand, mothers rarely worked outside the home, only on the market or in the vegetable garden maybe ;))
Also located on the village square you will find the Blacksmith (37) with stables for the oxen and pigs. The oxen are of a Spanish breed, they were born in 2018 in a nature reserve near Arnhem and they are called Isaac (after Isaac Newton) and James (after James Watts). And there are also stables for horses and donkeys (38), a sheepfold and a goat stable (34a).
The work of the blacksmith was very important to the village. Besides giving the horses new shoes, he also made many agricultural implements. And the helmets, breastplates and weapons that the smith could forge from iron came in handy for the knights.
Then we visit the armory (34). Here you find many weapons and armory that the blacksmith made for the Knights. This is a highlight for our Knight Puk! Immediately afterwards we continue to the Archers' Field (36), passing a cute goat on the way. Here our knight himself can practise archery on targets (under supervision of course). Now the day can't go wrong for our Knight, because archery is going very well, which the Knight himself already knew of course.
The Archery was super fun! But now we pass the Viking Time and go visit the Romans! (406 - 1500)
First we pass a maze on the left (D), with on the right a playground with picnic area (B), and then we walk under the gate (10).
Now we really set foot on Roman soil! On the right we see a tournament field (C) with a Roman crafts house (11a) behind it.
There is also a lot to see at the Romans, but our little knight is getting tired, so we have to make choices. The Domus (Roman house (11)); Craft house (11a); Hortus Aromaticus (Scented Garden 12); Calendar and writing school (13 + 13a), the Forum (16), we skip it all. We'll save it for next time. The camping makes more sense now, there is a lot to see and do here, too much for one day!
At the Gallery (22) we met a Roman lady who could tell a lot about the Romans. There also were impressive Roman shields on display and real Roman helmets.
Puk also bought a helmet in the shop, very cool but not quite Roman. Quickly we buy some souvenirs for those who could not come. After a quick pee before we drive home, we go find the car.
It was the best day, says our little knight before it gets very quiet in the car...
Briefly summarized:
We have not seen the Viking Settlement, nor the Neolithic, Bronze Age or the Dutch Canon. We briefly visited the Romans and we also skipped the Archeology House. All reason enough to surely go and visit Archeon again in the future!
There is a lot to do here for older children
In the Prehistory (1) at the Hunters) you can sail a tree trunk canoe and pull a boulder (5a)
In the Iron Age (9) you can learn how to build a fire
In the Middle Ages, kids can earn certificates with sword fighting (32), archery (36) and calligraphy (47)
In Roman times you learn to march like a Roman Soldier (Forum (16), throw javelin (next to the arena (23) and you can get a guided tour (18) at the well)
Very nice! You can buy food & drinks of every type everywhere, but there are also plenty of picnic benches scattered throughout the park, enough for everyone.
If you buy the activity pass, children can make various fun things, more info on the website