The Museum is one of the largest open air museums in the North of the Federal State. It is situated on an island of a vast lake of rare biodiversity and natural beauty and represents a unique heritage site with an impressive group of timber architectural monuments, of historical wooden village houses and ethnographic collections that have survived for centuries. It is a place of signification that inspires and attracts innumerable audiences from all over the world. The Museum greatly contributes to the conservation and restoration of wooden vernacular heritage on the island and to the study and presentation of their tangible and intangible assets as powerful cultural expressions of human creation of historic importance. Its multi-layered array of functions on the island, combined with those in the city, and its inventive activities have led to a wealth of interpretations and have promoted research, learning, better knowledge of, and reflection on traditions. The Museum is also a major source of employment, revenue and sustainable development as it invests extensively in various educational, outreach and socially relevant projects engaging the local community. It has an active Children’s museum and strong links with schools. The institution has thus become one of the country’s leading centres and an international reference for restoration of wooden monuments, and for education and training in this field, as well as an example of best practice in the management of a World Cultural Heritage Site, and of comprehensive cultural heritage valorisation.
