Renaissance faires are one way of going back into the past. Some sites in Europe go further and offer a chance to see the past in action.
Many European cities offer the visitor a chance to step into the past. Visit Paris and you can step back into the Sun King’s Versailles; Florence takes you back to the Renaissance; Rome to the time of Julius Caesar.
But these cities all have modern inhabitants. Then there are archaeological sites, like Pompeii or Herculaneum - but they have no life.
That’s where living history comes in. Re-enactors are no longer content with hosting single day events or Renaissance faires – instead, they’re embarking on projects to create an entire village or city of the past. And in the process, they’re learning a lot about how our ancestors lived their lives.
West Stow, in Suffolk, England, was one of the earliest archaeological reconstruction experiments, starting in 1973. It’s an Anglo-Saxon village, dating from the fifth to seventh centuries, reconstructed where the original buildings were excavated. Smell the woodsmoke, hear the chickens scrabbling among the thatched wooden houses, see the looms set up in the weaver’s house. Special events such as the Heritage Open Days see the Anglo-Saxons back in residence, too.
Moving forward a few centuries, Guedelon in the Burgundy region of France is slowly gaining a medieval castle. It was begun in 1996, and won't be finished until the 2020s. That gives visitors plenty of time to see the builders at work, using authentic medieval techniques. As well as being a tourist attraction, it’s a research project – finding out how medieval construction techniques actually worked. Even the quarrying and tree felling for the building is done using medieval methods and tools.
Nykobing Falster, in Denmark, boasts an entire medieval village, the Middelaltercentret. This isn't a generalised medieval village – it’s specifically dated in 1397. Authenticity is jealously guarded – volunteers aren't allowed to bring cigarettes or mobile phones on site, and the centre makes its own textiles and pottery.
Events include a trebuchet demonstration and tournament most days, and free guided tour with an artillery display on Sundays. Real medieval food is served in the Golden Swan inn; there’s a cafe serving anachronistic food such as ice cream and coffee, not yet invented in 1397 – but it’s outside the village so as not to tempt the medieval inhabitants!
Denmark has another fine site at Lejre. This is a research centre for experimental archaeology, and unlike the other sites, it’s multi-era, with a Stone Age village, Viking encampment, a 19th century farm, and even its own sacrificial bog. (Apparently the centre doesn't practise human sacrifice, but the threat could stop visiting children misbehaving.) Pottery, weaving and smithing are all practised on site, and a whole time-travel landscape has been created using historic farming techniques. There’s even a burial mound.
So next holiday, don't content yourself with travelling to another country. Why just displace yourself – when you could be travelling in time?
