Exhibition Centre for the Archaeology of the Emsland

The Exhibition Centre for the Archaeology of the Emsland stands in Meppen, Lower Saxony, inside a Classicist building complex beside the Koppelschleuse. A modern extension houses the museum, which opened in 1996. It tells the cultural history of the Emsland region from the Stone Age through to the Middle Ages. The displays cover prehistory and protohistory with finds, models and illustrations. Important research findings on Neolithic house building, Bronze Age material culture and Iron Age burial customs are shown.

The permanent exhibition presents the settlements of the Roman Empire period in the Emsland. It highlights the material culture and burial customs of the time. Museum education programmes for children and schools run alongside the displays. Changing special exhibitions add variety to what visitors can see. The centre’s research underpins all the exhibits on show.

A visitor finds a modern interior within the old Classicist walls. Large windows let natural light fall on the archaeological material. Models of Neolithic longhouses stand beside Bronze Age tools and Iron Age brooches. Information panels explain the significance of each find. The special exhibitions often focus on recent digs or forgotten villages. Outside, the Koppelschleuse canal offers a quiet walk after viewing the displays.