Bunschoten-Spakenburg

Spakenburg fished the Zuiderzee with botters, flat-bottomed wooden boats built for the shallow water, and the closing of the sea in 1932 ended it - the harbour now opens onto the Eemmeer, a narrow lake. A fleet of restored botters is kept and sailed by a foundation, and the old yard, the smokehouse and the harbour are a museum. The costume is what draws attention: the Spakenburgse dracht, with the kraplap, a stiff embroidered shoulder piece worn over the bodice in bright printed cotton, is still worn daily by a number of older women in the town, one of very few places where that is true rather than staged. It is a conservative Reformed community and Sunday is observed. Photographing people without asking is resented here as at Staphorst, and the museum makes the point directly.

History

Bunschoten is first named in 1294, on the border between Utrecht and Guelders, and in 1383 the bishop of Utrecht gave it city rights, which allowed the townspeople to build an earthen wall; its fortifications were lost in 1427 and never rebuilt (Wikipedia, Bunschoten).

What you'll find

• The kraplap costume - the stiff embroidered shoulder piece, worn daily by some women.
• Restored botters - the flat-bottomed Zuiderzee fishing boats, sailed by a foundation.
• An old yard and smokehouse - the fishing infrastructure kept as a museum.
• A harbour without a sea - the Zuiderzee closed in 1932 and now a narrow lake.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Things to know

Do not photograph people in costume without asking - it is resented and the museum says so. Sunday observance closes most of the town. Botter sailings are seasonal and booked.

Nearby

Amersfoort is south-east; the Eemmeer and Flevoland are north.

Key facts