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Drenthe history

Do you want to experience the history of Drenthe? Then you have come to the right place at our museum.

A motorcycle of the brand Germaan from Meppel, the trophy cabinet of the pig breeding association of Westerbork and the banner of the Workers' Association of Hoogeveen. Just a small selection from the history collection of the Drents Museum. A highly varied and unique collection of around 40,000 objects. All objects have a link with Drenthe, because they were made or used there.

​​​​​Stories about people

We tell stories about people with the objects from the history collection. For example, what was it like to live on the edge of civilisation? How were newcomers received? What was life like for ordinary people in the past? How have people changed the landscape in recent centuries? And how did people's lives change when the steam engine appeared in Drenthe, paved roads were built and artificial fertiliser also made wasteland suitable for agriculture?

Masterpieces

You will find various masterpieces in the historical collection. The 17th-century funeral shields of the skippers' guild from Meppel are a beautiful example of silversmithing. These shields decorated the coffin of a deceased skipper as a tribute during the funeral. The Zuidlaren coin treasure tells of the iconoclasm, in which a looter in Arnhem made off with the collection box filled with more than three thousand coins. And for the residents of Drenthe, the Wijster farmer's horn is perhaps the most important object in the collection. The farmer's horn symbolises the neighbourliness in the villages of Drenthe.

Featured objects

  • Four silver burial shields from the former Skippers' Guild in Meppel
  • Coin treasure from Zuidlaren
  • Farmer horn Wijster

Experience Drenthe history in the Drenthe Museum

If you want to experience the history of Drenthe, our museum is the place to be! Have you, for example, already taken a look at The Largest Doll's House in the Netherlands? There, Drenthe tax collector Johannes van Lier tells his story. But you can also choose the story of his eccentric daughter Barbara, rebellious coachman Roelof Harms or cook Tallegien Jans, who makes no secret of her heart.