Ename Provincial Archaeological Museum

Fragment of ivory - crook in the museum, found in the ruined abbey of St. Salvator. Salvator (Jesus Christ as Savior ) wears a Jewish dress, a reference to the origin of Christianity. In his left hand he holds a ball decorated with a cross, symbolizing the power of Christ. By stepping on a dragon, the symbol of evil in the world, he shows his victory over him.

The Provincial Archaeological Museum Ename ( Provinciaal Archeologische Museum Ename , abbreviation: PAM Ename ) in the Belgian municipality of Ename in the east of the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders conveys the history of the Flemish Ardennes, especially in the High Middle Ages .

The museum was opened in 1998 in the Beernaert house next to the St. Laurentius Church in the village center of Ename. It shows everyday life in ename from the early Middle Ages to the present day with interactive and multimedia presentations, using a "journey through time" and hands-on elements. In the “archeolabo” visitors can learn about methods of archeology. The museum has already received several awards for this knowledge transfer concept. The PAM Ename is a partner of the Provinciaal Archeological Museum Velzeke in East Flanders.

The museum is part of the “974 Ename” project, which, in addition to the museum, consists of three other elements:

• The eight hectare Archaeological Site of Ename . In the 1970s, the foundations of a fortification with commercial settlement were discovered in a former bend in the river on the right bank of the Scheldt near Ename, which was probably built in 974 under Emperor Otto II as a border fortification between Valenciennes and the margraviate of Antwerp against France . Gottfried von Verdun (from 969 Margrave of Ename) and his wife Mathilde from Saxony built a castle in this Scheldt loop and founded an early urban settlement. Her son Hermann had two churches built there between 988 and 1025. The Abbey of St. Salvator was during the iconoclasm burned down in 1566 and during the French Revolution expropriated, only its foundations remain. The archaeological site of Ename has been awarded the European Heritage Label by the Belgian state .
• The St. Laurentius Church . The core of the building, which has been preserved to this day, consists of a sanctuary in the west, a three-aisled nave and an originally two-story, now four-story east wing (east side with apse and altar). Later additions are a stair tower, a so-called "portal" and the sacristy building . In 1999 excavations and building research began inside the church.
• The Bos t'Ename natural forest reserve .

Web links

Commons : Provinciaal Archeological Museum (Ename)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Website of the municipality of Ename on the museum in the project "Ename 974" (Dutch)
• Ename Archaeological Park

(Dutch)