Zaans Museum
Encyclopedia
Zaans Museum is a museum in Zaandam
, Netherlands
, founded in 1994. It is housed in a contemporary building designed by architects Cor van Hillo and Monique Verschaeren, right across from the historic windmills and houses of the Zaanse Schans
, an open-air museum. The museum covers 16,500 m3 and contains items showcasing the past of the area of the Zaan, and the wealth created by the early industrial activity on the river. The building was expanded in March 2009 with a new pavilion, to house the corporate collection of the Verkade
family.
's Moulin en Hollande showing the river Zaan
and its many windmills by the Belgian impressionist Franz Courtens.
The Verkade pavilion, which was opened in March 2009 by Queen Beatrix
, houses the corporate collection of the Verkade family, founders of Verkade
, a company famous for its cookies and chocolate. This collection contains photographs, displays, packaging, posters and three operating production lines for chocolate, sponge cake and candles. There is also a treasure house containing the original watercolors of the collectors' albums it published. One section is dedicated to the "Verkade girls" (De meisjes van Verkade). In the early days of Verkade, a large part of the workforce consisted of young women who walked in their company uniform to work; these are occasionally revived for ceremonial purposes, such as when Queen Beatrix opened the pavilion. The section dedicated to the girls is sponsored for an amount of €60,000 by PDZ, one of the country's largest temporary work
agencies, which was one of the main providers of women to Verkade's work force since the 1960s.
while he was studying shipbuilding
at the end of the seventeenth century.
; the jury praised especially the modern and open architecture of the building and the educational programs and the presentation of the permanent collection. The lighting design in the presentation won an Award of Merit at the 2000 Edison Awards.
Zaandam
Zaandam is a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, founded in 1994. It is housed in a contemporary building designed by architects Cor van Hillo and Monique Verschaeren, right across from the historic windmills and houses of the Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans is a neighbourhood of Zaandam, near Zaandijk in the municipality ofZaanstad in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It has a collection...
, an open-air museum. The museum covers 16,500 m3 and contains items showcasing the past of the area of the Zaan, and the wealth created by the early industrial activity on the river. The building was expanded in March 2009 with a new pavilion, to house the corporate collection of the Verkade
Verkade
Verkade is a Dutch manufacturing company. The company is headquartered in Zaandam and was one of the oldest existing family companies in the Netherlands until its takeover in 1990 by British United Biscuits, which in turn was taken over in 2006 by Blackstone Group and PAI Partners...
family.
Collection
The museum contains cultural heritage and region-related collections on residential and industrial culture. It is based on the collection of the Society for the Preservation and Expansion der Zaan Greenland Archaeological Collection Honig Jacob Janszoon Junior. The museum has two sub-collections, living culture and industrial culture. Within the living culture collection, the museum displays regional dress, painted furniture and utensils found in Zaandam homes. The collection includes industrial heritage by large companies like Zaanse Bruynzeel, Honig, Albert Heijn and Lassie. In 2009, the museum acquired an oil painting similar to Claude MonetClaude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
's Moulin en Hollande showing the river Zaan
Zaan
The Zaan is a small river in the province of North-Holland in The Netherlands and the name of the district through which it runs. The river was originally a side arm of the IJ bay and travels 10 kilometers through the municipality of Zaanstad north of Amsterdam, from West-Knollendam in the north...
and its many windmills by the Belgian impressionist Franz Courtens.
The Verkade pavilion, which was opened in March 2009 by Queen Beatrix
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
, houses the corporate collection of the Verkade family, founders of Verkade
Verkade
Verkade is a Dutch manufacturing company. The company is headquartered in Zaandam and was one of the oldest existing family companies in the Netherlands until its takeover in 1990 by British United Biscuits, which in turn was taken over in 2006 by Blackstone Group and PAI Partners...
, a company famous for its cookies and chocolate. This collection contains photographs, displays, packaging, posters and three operating production lines for chocolate, sponge cake and candles. There is also a treasure house containing the original watercolors of the collectors' albums it published. One section is dedicated to the "Verkade girls" (De meisjes van Verkade). In the early days of Verkade, a large part of the workforce consisted of young women who walked in their company uniform to work; these are occasionally revived for ceremonial purposes, such as when Queen Beatrix opened the pavilion. The section dedicated to the girls is sponsored for an amount of €60,000 by PDZ, one of the country's largest temporary work
Temporary work
Temporary work or temporary employment refers to a situation where the employee is expected to leave the employer within a certain period of time. Temporary employees are sometimes called "contractual", "seasonal", "interim", "casual staff", "freelance", or "part-time"; or the word may be shortened...
agencies, which was one of the main providers of women to Verkade's work force since the 1960s.
Tsar Peter house
The museum also oversees the Tsar Peter house in Zaandam, a little wooden house formerly occupied by Peter I of RussiaPeter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
while he was studying shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
at the end of the seventeenth century.
Awards
In 2001 the museum received a commendation at the presentation of the annual European Museum of the Year AwardEuropean Museum of the Year Award
The European Museum of the Year Award , established in 1977, is presented each year by the European Museum Forum , under the Council of Europe...
; the jury praised especially the modern and open architecture of the building and the educational programs and the presentation of the permanent collection. The lighting design in the presentation won an Award of Merit at the 2000 Edison Awards.