x was here

Dutch lieux de mémoire

1 Jan 2011

The whole of the Netherlands is a museum. History is all around us – sometimes tangible, sometimes no longer tangible, but always present in the landscape. Every year, in the X was here project, the Museum of National History will open up a series of historical locations in a physical and digital way, linked to promotional and educational activities. Slowly but surely, an extensive network of lieux de mémoire (places of memory) will arise, distributed across the whole of the Netherlands and parts of other countries. With this aim, the museum is collaborating with local organizations, municipalities and provinces.

With:
Erik Schilp

Opening up the Netherlands

The X was here project was started up in the spring of 2011 with the announcement of the first forty-five historical locations. At these places the general public can obtain historical information, available from physical and digital sources. The occurrence itself, the location and the historical context are the essential ingredients of the information. What happened where and when? Where are the visible or tangible traces? The public becomes acquainted with personal stories of the parties who have experienced the history of the site and who can also add their own history to the general body of information. A new ‘collection’ is made annually for a number of locations: a poem, film or performance that draws extra attention to the location. A specially developed website is the central point where all information converges.

Fifty places a year

Around fifty locations will be added every year, consistently based on the History Month theme. Accordingly, all important locations in the Netherlands will eventually be covered. In that case, the network will stretch out across the whole of the Netherlands and into parts of other countries. The Museum of National History will also propagate hiking, cycling and car routes.

Land and water

In 2010-2011, the history of land and water will form the basis of the selection. The editing staff have chosen ((6352|forty-five historical locations) on the theme of land and water, one of the six Realms of the Museum of National History and the topic of History Week 2010. These are well-known and less well-known locations where historical events occurred. History is tangible at these sites: people can best relive the closing of the final hole in the Afsluitdijk (IJsselmeer Barrier Dam) at the Vlieter; the significance of the Grebbeberg fires the imagination to a greater extent if the viewer is on the hill itself.

Editing staff

An editing team makes an annual selection of a number of important locations. In the future, it will be possible to make suggestions to the editing team. The team consists of:

  • Wim Blockmans (Professor Emeritus in Medieval History at the University of Leiden, former rector of the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study)
  • Hans Goedkoop (presenter of the television programme Andere Tijden (Bygone Times))
  • Maarten Prak (Professor of Social and Economic History at the University of Utrecht)
  • Erik Schilp(General Director of the Museum of National History)
  • Dirk Sijmons (landscape architect, former State Advisor for the landscape)