2. Replica of the Bargeroosterveld Temple ca. 1500-1250 BC.

Here you see a replica of the Bargeroosterveld temple. This is a remarkable structure from the Bronze Age, found on the edge of a raised bog. Such small buildings are rare in Europe.

Before the arrival of Christianity, rituals usually took place outdoors, in nature. Think of clearings, near a large stone or a tree. This small temple shows that people sometimes also built a special place for rituals.

The structure was approximately 2 by 2 meters in size. It consisted of eight oak posts standing on wide planks. On top lay beams with striking ends in the shape of horns. These horns resemble cattle horns. For people in the Bronze Age, horns symbolized strength and new life.

In the center of the small temple, there was probably space for offerings. Stones lay around it, further marking the spot.

For the people of that time, this was a sacred place. Here, the boundary between their world and that of the gods felt close.

What you see here is a replica. The real wooden parts have been partially preserved in the peat, including the distinctive horn-shaped parts.

The next listening point is about these wooden parts.