Craftsmanship is in Bokrijk's DNA. It is not surprising that craftsmanship is a common thread throughout the stories that Bokrijk tells. Not only did everyday rural life in previous centuries largely consist of crafts and cottage industries, the construction of the Open Air Museum in the fifties and sixties also testifies to a strong example of craftsmanship. Today, the Open Air Museum uses all kinds of museum tools to tell this history.
The Campus of Craftsmanship, just outside the museum walls in Bokrijk Castle, is the home base for Craftsmanship & Heritage, the national platform for historical and contemporary craftsmanship in Flanders, and for VAKlab, the expertise and service cell that arose from the need to support craftsmen in entrepreneurship.