Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen

The Netherlands has a vast array of fantastic museums that deserve our attention. In this new and regular feature, we will visit as many of them as possible. We hope it inspires you to see more of them. So last Sunday, we jumped on a train and headed North to visit Enkhuizen. It’s always a pleasure to discover a new place in The Netherlands, and Enkhuizen did not disappoint. A lovely coastal town with some beautiful buildings. But, on this cold, windy, wet morning, we were here to visit the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen. We had heard a lot about it and expected great things. We were not disappointed. You can just read on to hear more and see the photos.

The Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen tells the story of the people who lived here in the past, specifically before the Afsluitdijk (the great IJsselmeer Barrier Dam) was built in 1932. This vast construction changed many things for the communities living on the Zuiderzee. You can learn all about how they lived, dressed and worked, and it is fascinating. You get a deep insight into how the locals went about their lives. The indoor museum looks at the importance of the water, the crafts that helped the locals exist and the importance of community. There is an outdoor museum too that is only open in the Summer months. We will return to that another time to see that. So enjoy the selection of photos we took of the museum and the town and explore yourself!

The Museum courtyard — The Museum Courtyard

The Ships Hall

As you can imagine, boats and fishing were essential parts of the lives of the people living in Enkhuizen and the whole coastal area for centuries. The first area you visit in the museum is the impressive Ships Hall. It is the most extensive collection of boats in any museum in The Netherlands. You can see the evolution of the ships over the years. At the beginning of the 1900s, up to two thousand such ships were operating on the sea at the same time. The sea was often rough and unforgiving but also full of fish to catch.

The Lives of the Villagers

The museum has room after room of fascinating displays about how people lived and dressed in the past. It is a stunning collection of objects, clothing and artefacts that allow the visitor to step back in time.