Virtuele tour door Museum Kennemerland Historische Beleefstijl wandeling door Beverwijk
Film Museum Kennemerland Actuele tentoonstelling

 

What does Museum Kennemerland offer?

Museum Kennemerland is a regional museum located in Beverwijk in the former town hall of Wijk aan Zee en Duin. The village Wijk aan Zee en Duin was incorporated in Beverwijk in 1936.

Big room at the left

The big river IJ used to flow from Amsterdam to nearly the foot of the dunes in Kennemerland. How much water there was in this area is clearly visible on the map.

The locations where the objects in the showcases were found are indicated on a wall map. For example, an old jug comes from the fortress of the Romans, where the southern entrance of the Wijker tunnel is now located.

A scale model shows what the gate of such a fortress looked like, with a tent of skins, a well and a wine bar next to it.

Big room in the middle

In the 17th century the character of the region had changed completely. The rich traders of Amsterdam fled the city in the spring, away from the smelly canals in the summer months. With their family and all their possessions and maids they sailed to their country estates in Kennemerland.

Many vegetablegrowers and fruitgrowers settled here to feed the growing population. Until far in the 20th century, Beverwijk and Heemskerk ware famous for their strawberries. The strawberries were packed in baskets, put on the train and transported to Amsterdam and as far as Germany. As to this day, children born in Beverwijk, are nicknamed “Strawberry”.

Big room at the right

Kitchen in stately home, 17th century. Miniature model of a kitchen. Find the same objects, in miniature and in the kitchen.

Central hall

The five “Rederijkersblazoenen” date from 1620-1624. They are a very rare remnant from the hundreds of coats of arms that once existed. Only about 45 examples remain in this country.
A blazoen is a coat of arms, a Rederijkerskamer is a society or chamber where the members write and perform theatrical plays and recite poems. Most of the members are amateurs, but some members were well-known authors. Every chamber had their own coat of arms with a motto and a biblical image. Every year the chambers from different cities organised a match. The coats of arms were carried around to inform and attract spectators. The winning chamber had to organise the match the following year.

Room at your right, the former Mayors room

Kinheim carpets

In the first half of the last century, Beverwijk was renowned for its carpet knitting. Kinheim was known for the quality of the carpets and the originality of the designs. Eight to ten ‘girls’ (ladies aged 15 to 6o) used to work on large carpets at the same time. Carpets from Beverwijk went to the Peace Palace in The Hague, to the royal Palace in Soestdijk, were used on luxury cruise ships and in some town halls. The tapestry received royal approval in 1926 but in 1973 it was over. Manual labour had become too expensive.

Pottery Velsen

Around the same time when the carpet knitting shop was founded, two men (21 and 30 years old) decided to start their pottery Kennemerland. They brought decorative and kitchen pottery on the market, made in the traditional way and affordable to many people. One could tell their pottery by the decoration: a row of colorful blocks on a cream-colored background. That was entirely in the art deco style of those years. The decorations were applied to dried and unbaked clay. Then the decorated clay went into the oven at a low temperature. In peak periods, the pottery employed 25 people. The decorations got a more graceful character over the years. During the war, in 1942, the pottery disappeared from Kennemerland. In the museum, the characteristic decoration with colorful blocks can be found in numerous places.