Fries Museum

Friesland has a distinct history - its own language, no medieval feudal lord, a tradition of self-governing farmer-landholders, and a long argument with the rest of the Netherlands about all of it - and the Fries Museum sets that out. The collection runs from prehistoric and terp archaeology, the finds from the artificial mounds of the clay country, through medieval material, to a very strong holding of Frisian silver, painting and applied art of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It holds a large Mata Hari collection, including her letters, scrapbooks and personal effects, since Margaretha Zelle came from Leeuwarden, and the museum has published research questioning how much of a spy she actually was. The building on the Wilhelminaplein opened in 2013, a black stone block cantilevered over the square, replacing the old premises in a canal house.

History

The museum was founded on 13 April 1881 by a society for Frisian history, antiquities and language set up in 1827. A first historical exhibition in 1877, with over 1500 objects on loan, made an unexpected profit of 17,000 guilders, which let the museum buy the former Eysinga house on the Koningstraat, where it opened in 1881 (Wikipedia, Fries Museum).

What to look for

• Terp archaeology - finds from the artificial mound settlements of the clay country.
• Frisian silver and painting - a strong holding of the province's applied art.
• The Mata Hari archive - a large collection, with her letters and effects.
• A cantilevered black block - the 2013 building projecting over the square.

When to go

All year. Half a day.

What to expect

Closed Mondays. Much of the display assumes some interest in Frisian identity, which is the point of the museum. Temporary exhibitions take over sections. Labelling is Frisian, Dutch and English.

Nearby

The Princessehof ceramics museum and the Oldehove are a short walk.

Key facts