Museum Weekend

 the most important cultural event in The Netherlands- is back!

The city moat and the Sassenpoort, the 15th century city gate in Zwolle.

  This year, on the weekend of 14-15 April, almost 500 museums across the country will celebrate their special weekend with many activities and exhibitions. The theme chosen for this year is, "let yourself be enriched by the museum".
During these two days visitors to the museums that are participating in the event will  only have to pay a symbolic entrance fee of 1 euro.

By visiting the website www.museumweekend.nl, you can find out if your favourite museums are taking part in the Museum Weekend and what their special activities will be for the event.

This is also a good chance for letting yourself be surprised by the variety of choices and visit for the first time some of the most interesting museums across the country.

Museum Weekend in Zwolle

Photo: courtesy of the Stedelijk Museum Zwolle

How about letting yourself be enriched and surprised by the historic city of Zwolle during Museum Weekend? Combine a visit to the three museums and the ateliers that are participating in the event with a gezellige (pleasant, in Dutch) day discovering this dynamic and beautiful city where you will find not only interesting old architecture but also beautiful canals and parks - not for nothing was Zwolle chosen as the greenest city in Europe in 2006...!

For Museum Weekend in Zwolle you can visit the Stedelijk Museum, Het Vrouwenhuis and the Museum de Fundatie location Nijenhuis Castle in Heino, as well as the ateliers of many local artists in the city.

In their website, the VVV Zwolle  -Tourist Office in Zwolle-  recommends coming to the city by bus or train, since for Museum Weekend two people will be able to travel for the price of one!

The Stedelijk Museum Zwolle (City Museum Zwolle)

This museum is located in one of the most remarkable buildings in the historic city centre of Zwolle on Melkmarkt street - the Drostenhuis (Bailiff's House), built in 1551 for the then bailiff of Drenthe and steward of Salland. In later periods this house was inhabited by the regents of Zwolle who modernised it in their own taste according to the style of the different periods.

The Drostenhuis (Bailiff's House) in Zwolle houses part of the Stedelijk (City) Museum.

 The period rooms on the ground floor of the house give the visitor a clear impression of how the ruling class and the burgeoisie of Zwolle lived in the past. The kitchen is considered to be the most beautiful period kitchen in the entire country and its garden, redesigned in 2006, can be enjoyed and admired while taking a break in the coffee shop of the museum or while sitting in the garden terrace during the summer.
 In the upper floors of the house there are exhibitions about the history of the city and the province of Overijssel.
 
In the new section of the museum (situated nextdoor) the visitor can find the temporary exhibitions in the field of cultural history. At the moment, the summer exhibition "Stil even" is in progress with  a collection of still lifes and landscapes from the Golden Age to the present. The exhibition will be on display at the Stedelijk Museum until 12 August.

For the Museum Weekend visitors can -for just 1 euro- take one of the guided tours around the Drostenhuis and see the temporary exhibition "Stil even". The guided tours will take place on Sunday 15 April at 11:15, 12:15, 14:00 and 15:00.

Address: Melkmarkt 41, Zwolle (a 10-minute walk from the NS station).

Het Vrouwenhuis (The Women's House)

This is quite a special museum located in the heart of the city centre. Aleida Greve was a very well-to-do lady who lived in Zwolle in the second half of the 17th and first half of the 18th centuries. In her testament, she specified that her beautiful mansion house should be converted into a retirement house for elderly women and spinsters. Each of the women that were accepted in the house had their own room and they even received an allowance every month.

The Women's House on the Melkmarkt in Zwolle

In this beautiful house the visitor can roam around the decorated interiors corresponding to three different centuries, from 1680 until 1980. The museum keeps a collection of unique paintings by family members of Aleida Greve.

Normally, this museum opens only for groups by previous appointment. On Museum Weekend Het Vrouwenhuis will offer guided tours every half hour from 14:00 to 16:30. You need to book beforehand by calling 038 - 422 4823.

Museum address: Melkmarkt 53, Zwolle.
Visitor's entrance on Voorstraat 46, Zwolle.

Museum de Fundatie - location Nijenhuis Castle in Heino

From January to mid-December 2012 the Museum de Fundatie location Zwolle will remain closed due to the renovation works that are in progress at the moment. The monumental neoclassical palace of the museum is located on Blijmarkt 20.

Paleis a/d Blijmarkt, the neoclassical building that houses the Museum de Fundatie in Zwolle.

The other location of the museum is Nijenhuis Castle, one of the best preserved manor houses in the province of Overijssel. The castle is situated between the towns of Heino and Wijhe and is surrounded by a beautiful natural area, making a visit to the museum a real treat.

Nijenhuis Castle, one of the two locations of the Museum de Fundatie.

At the initiative of art collector Dirk Hannema, the castle -which originally dates from the 14th century and had gone into desrepair after being sold by the last owners in 1934- underwent a thorough renovation and was turned into a museum in 1958. Hannema lived in the castle until his death in 1984 and his private art collection formed the basis for the Museum de Fundatie.

The caslte is surrounded by beautiful ornamental gardens and woodlands.

 Besides presenting Hanema's collection, regular temporary exhibitions are held within the castle's walls and in the statue garden which has been very recently opened. For Museum Weekend visitors to Nijenhuis Castle can admire over 75 sculptures belonging to the Museum de Fundatie, the province of Overijssel and the Museum "Beelden aan Zee" in a beautiful setting of ornamental gardens and woodlands.

Address: 't Nijenhuis 10, Heino/Wijhe

Open Ateliers

Also during Museum Weekend a number of artists in Zwolle will participate in the Open Ateliers weekend, an initiative aiming at bringing artists and art-lovers together. Between 11:00 and 17:00 on both days (14/15 April) 30 artists in the city will keep the doors of their ateliers open to the public.
The list of the ateliers taking part in this event can be found in the website of the BZK (Belangen Zwolse Kunstenaars).

All that rests for me to say is, kom maar genieten! (come and enjoy!)

First edition of the Zwolse grachtentocht (ice skating tour of the canals of Zwolle)

The logo of the event - their website is going up today with all the information: Zwolse Grachtentocht

While we continue to wait for a decision from the rayonhoofden (I just love that word, which in Dutch means "district chiefs") up north in the province of Friesland to see if we will finally have an Elfstedentocht this year, their Zwolse counterparts* have come up with an ice-skating tocht ("race" in this case) of their own along the stadsgrachten (city canals) in Zwolle.

One of the canals in Zwolle in the winter

 The event will take place next Saturday 11 February as of 12:00. The route will start at the Rodetorenplein following the Thorbeckegracht to the end of the canal and back to the Rodetorenplein. There will be refreshment stalls along the track and the bars and restaurants along the canal will also set up their terrasjes (outdoor cafés) on the ice. The organisers are looking for music bands and entertainers to make sure that there is a festive atmosphere all around. It should be fun! 
As of 11:00 there will be two caravans at the Rodetorenplein for those who want to participate to collect their stamp cards for free. If you want to be a part of it and join in the ice skating fun, you can ask for more information or register via this email address: zwolsegrachtentocht@live.nl  The committee organising the event has also just launched their own website where you will find the programme, the route and a form to sign up if you want to enter the marathon. 

Should the rayonhoofden from Friesland decide that the Elfstedentocht is a Go, the Zwolse grachtentocht will then be postponed so that we all can finally give our full attention to this huge national event - the first Elfstedentocht of the 21st century!

This is me on a bridge across the Thorbeckegracht where the Zwolse grachtentocht will take place.

*The Zwolse grachtentocht is actually being organised by a group of entrepreneurs of the catering industry in Zwolle.

White Winter Wonderland

Last December and the first part of this month of January were particularly cold here in the Netherlands and in Europe in general. There was a lot of snow and frost, too. Everything looked really pretty and with it happening around Christmas time, I think it was a bit magical!

Now all the snow and the ice have melted and we have gone back to the usual kind of weather we have around here: rainy, misty, windy... Winter is not yet over and we might still get to see more of White Wonderland, but in case we don't, I wanted to share some of the photos I took around Christmas time and the first week or so, of this month. You can click on each photo to view it larger:

Ice-skaters having fun in one of the canals of Zwolle

Me taking a walk in the "Kuinderbos", in the Noordoostpolder region.

"Fresh" mushrooms I found while taking a stroll in the Westerveldse Bos, near my house in Zwolle.

A view of the pond in the Westerveldse Bos

A street in my neighbourhood after a heavy snowfall around Christmas.

A bicycle path completely covered in snow and a little girl trying to get home from school, pushing her bike along.

A nice car in the parking area of the shooting club we visited in the Kuinderbos, Noordoostpolder.

A bridge over a canal in my neighbourhood in Zwolle.

Farm houses almost outside Zwolle.
This view reminds me of the Argentinean flag!

I took hundreds of photos which still have to be edited, but I hope that you liked this sampler of the white winter in the Netherlands!

Zwolle Culinair: the Superstreekmarkt (super regional market)

De Week van de Smaak (in English, "National Tasting Week") is a gastronomic event in the Netherlands held every year to celebrate traditional, sustainable international and local food. National Tasting Week is celebrated with hundreds of different activities in which food and local produce takes central stage. Restaurants, local producers, farmers, food shops, cookery schools - they all organise their own activities in big and small cities across the country.

This event actually started back in 1992 in France, where it is known as Le Semaine du Goût and it soon extended into other European countries. Today, the event is celebrated in Switzerland (since 2001), Belgium (since 2006) and the Netherlands (since 2007).


In Zwolle, the city where I live, National Tasting Week was celebrated with many special activities. The Dutch Tourist Office (the VVV or Vereiniging van Vreemdelingenverkeer), for example, offered during the week of 21-27 September, a gastronomic walking tour through the historic city centre, visiting some of the best restaurants and shops which held tasting sessions or had special menus especially elaborated for the occasion.

"Sunday 27 September, Welcome to the Super Regional Market"

Another big event which took place to celebrate National Tasting Day was the Superstreekmarkt (in English, the "super regional market") in which traditional local produce was displayed on the approximately 50 stalls arranged around the restaurant of the Agnietenberg camping site in Zwolle.
There, visitors could taste and buy different regional products and delicacies that are not normally found in supermarkets but in traditional winkeltjes (in English, "little shops") in the city or in farms from the region. Also, there were open cooking demonstrations, talks, poetry reading, wine tasting, etc.

The market could be easily reached by car but there were other "fun" options, like sailing from the city centre of Zwolle to the Agnietenberg by boat on board "De Gebeurtenis"; or riding in one of the fietstaxis (taxi bikes) Fiestjoe.

The taxi-bike, an environmentlly friendly means of transport in Zwolle.

Some more photos of the Superstreekmarkt in the Agnietenberg, Zwolle:

Busy day at the Super Regional Market

A tasting of cheeses, patés and jams in one of the stalls in the market.

Did you know that there are more than 180 vineyards in the Netherlands? Winegrowing is a thriving industry that contributes about 1 million of bottle per year! There is even a vineyard in my own city, in Zwolle - check their website for more information about the wines and visiting or volunteering to work during the high season: Wijngaard De Swolse Marken.

Dutch wines at the market during the National Tasting Week in Zwolle.

The wine shop Henri Bloem had an international selection of wines for the public to taste. I was pleased to discover that one of their star wines (Felino, Viña Cobos, Malbec 2008) actually came from Mendoza, the wine producing region in my country, Argentina.

The wine tasting selection at the Henri Bloem stall in the market.

Visitors could also see, taste and buy another typical delicacy from the region: smoked eel.

The mobile smokehouse of Profarm Paling, a local producer.

Smoked eel or "gerookte paling", a local delicacy.

A stall displaying typical dry sausages.

The typical sausages of a local producer.

More "lekker" (in English, "tasty") sausages.

A view of the turnout for the Super Regional Market in Zwolle.

Of course there were a couple of stalls offering a tasting of locally made cheeses:

The stall of Isseldelta Bier.

Vinaigrettes ready to go!

Cook books for those looking for inspiration.

The winter garden at the Agnietenberg, Zwolle.

There is more to come yet, in this month of October: Zwolle Culinair, an event which will take place from 23 to 25 October in Deltion College, Zwolle.

If you are curious about other gastronomic events taking place in Zwolle, visit the Zwolle, Week van de Smaak website, or the VVVZwolle (Dutch Tourist Board, Zwolle).