From: 2013 to 2016
Following my 2012 PhD dissertation and with my long standing international experience with archaeological open-air museums, I was asked to manage the museum in Oerlinghausen, Germany. I was first interim director then director, from 2013 to 2016.
The museum in Oerlinghausen first opened in 1936 and is about 100 km south-west of Hannover, Germany. It consists of a walk through time on 1.5 hectares, starting with the Middle Stone Age running to the Early Middle Ages. The Iron Age type houses are relicts from the previous ‘Germanengehöft’.
Starting with the simple task to keep the museum going, I raised visitor numbers by 25%, increasing the number of happenings and their coverage with all available marketing instruments including a new website and Facebook presence. I made structural improvements in the museum where for a long time priority had been to save money. I spent much time on making the museum more inclusive, including better roads and an audio guide. I also made new signboards throughout the museum and had these translated into five languages.
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