In general city exhibitions emphasize on the history of the priviledged. The history of the common folk (around 80% of the population) is showcased in open-air museums, but the focus is mainly on the rural population and fishing communities.

The Dutch Museum for Working Class Neighbourhoods (‘Volksbuurtmuseum’ in Dutch) in Utrecht is the only one of its kind in the Netherlands. Plenty of museums focus on city history but they rarely cover the day-to-day life of the ‘common man’ in the 19th and 20th centuries.

 

Social inclusion

Local residents were actively involved during the foundation of the museum (previously known as ‘Volksbuurtmuseum Wijk C’). They were interviewed to keep the neighbourhood’s identity alive and they also donated personal items. The small community-based museum focusses on District C (‘Wijk C’ in Dutch) in Utrecht. They collect, preserve and exhibit the cultural heritage of this vanished district.

Highlights of the museum

• Interactive back alley: experience what it was like to live in Wijk C in the shabby conditions around the year 1920.

• Multimedia presentation on the characteristics of a working-class neighbourhood makes you think about the misconceptions and prejudices.

• Historical vending carts with sounds fragments and stories

• The original interior of a pre-war bakery shop. This was one of the eighty depots of Utrecht’s largest bread factory ‘De Korenschoof’. In the upper room you can find the original interior of a folk drugstore.

 

Opening hours

Monday: closed
Tuesday: 11.00 – 17.00
Wednesday: 11.00 – 17.00
Thursday: 11.00 – 17.00
Friday: 11.00 – 17.00
Saturday: every first, second and third Saturday of the month 11.00 – 17.00
Sunday: 11.00 – 17.00

Closed on public holidays

Admission

Admission fee €5

Free admission for children up to 12 years old, benefactors of the museum and holders of Museumkaart and U-Pas.

The museum is fully wheelchair accessible.

Location

The museum is located near Jacobi Church on the grounds of the vanished District C, in the city center of Utrecht. It is at about 15 minutes walking distance from Utrecht Central Station.

Address: Waterstraat 27, 3511 BW Utrecht
www.volksbuurtmuseum.nl/visitor-information

Tip: On the way from Utrecht Central Station to the museum, you will pass by a Nijntje (Miffy) traffic light, the only one in the world! Once you see the rainbow pedestrian crossing, you will see this unique traffic light. Dick Bruna, Nijntje’s spiritual father, was from Utrecht.

The post One of its kind: Museum of Working Class Neighbourhoods appeared first on Heavenly Holland.

The election for best Bicycle City 2018 is based on a survey completed by over 45,000 people in which they gave their opinion about cycling in their municipality; from annoying bollards to bicycle theft and detour factors. The Top 5 cities were also assessed by a panel of experts.

Bicycle City Houten

This is the second time that Houten wins the title. The town in the province of Utrecht won the first place in 2008 as well. Eversince, Houten has not been idle. Urban planners and traffic professionals from all over the world travel to Houten for inspiration.

Houten’s traffic model is unique worldwide. A ring road runs around Houten. If you want to drive in a motorized vehicle from one district to another, you have to use the ring road. However, cyclists can conveniently cross the city through an extensive network of cycle paths.

Also, an innovative bicycle transfer facility was built at Houten train station, which allows cyclists to seamlessly transfer onto a train. The bicycle parking is right below the tracks.

Top 10 Dutch Bicycle Cities

1 Houten (winner)
2 Veenendaal (nominee)
3 Zoetermeer (nominee)
4 Winterswijk (nominee)
5 Etten-Leur (nominee)
6 Rijssen-Holten
7 Zwolle
8 Oud-Beijerland
9 Groningen
10 Enschede

Dutch Cyclists’ Union

The Dutch Cyclists’ Union (‘Fietsersbond’ in Dutch) strives for better cycling conditions in the Netherlands. Since the foundation in 1975 their goal is to keep the Netherlands a safe and happy cycling country.

About Houten

Houten is a commuter town about 15km southeast of Utrecht city. The municipality of Houten has 49,395 inhabitants (April 2017). There are two railway stations: Houten and Houten Castellum. Both stations are served by local trains to Utrecht (northbound) and Geldermalsen/Tiel (southbound).

There are also two castles near Houten: Castle Heemstede (currently a restaurant) and Castle Schonauen (usually not open to the public).

Booking.com

The post Houten: the best Bicycle City of 2018 appeared first on Heavenly Holland.

The post The Dutch transport about anything on their bicycles appeared first on Heavenly Holland.

The post The Dutch pyramid of Austerlitz appeared first on Heavenly Holland.

On Monday tens of thousands of fans came to the life-size Utrecht to celebrate the championship.

The post Madurodam honours Orange Lionesses appeared first on Heavenly Holland.

The post Natural sand dunes far away from the beach appeared first on Heavenly Holland.

Wu Wen 武雯
gender: female
date of birth: 11 August 2013
place of birth: Sichuan, China

Xing Ya 星雅
gender: male
date of birth: 5 August 2013
place of birth: Sichuan, China

The post Panda mania appeared first on Heavenly Holland.

This 4.5 meter high turd is made by provocative artist Wim T. Schippers (born 1 July 1942) and is called “Stationnement Gênant”, which is French for nuisance.

The post 4.5 meter tall turd in Hilversum appeared first on Heavenly Holland.

The post One of the world’s tallest Christmas trees appeared first on Heavenly Holland.