The Shipwreck and Beachcombing Museum sits on the island of Texel, located in the southern reaches of the Dutch archipelago along the North Sea coast. Positioned at the end of the English Channel, the island is frequently swept by southwesterly winds that carry flotsam from across the region. A ferry ride from Amsterdam takes less than 20 minutes to reach the site, which is reached by a straight road lined with grazing sheep and crowned with fishing nets or rubber gloves. Behind these fences, visitors find piles of rusting metal and plastic, a collection that feels at first like a curious rubbish dump or a fun-fair attraction.
Surrounded by the North Sea
Despite the weather, local resident Judith Vlaming argues that the site is a prime location for beachcombers. While tourists and water sports enthusiasts visit only when the sun shines, Texel’s residents scour the shore year-round. The island sits on one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, serving ports in Germany, Russia, the Baltic region, Scandinavia, Poland, and Scotland. The four friends—Jan Uitgeest, Arie Eelman, Cor Ellen, and Theo Kooiman—saw the 1970s as a golden era for collecting. They argue that modern regulations and larger vessels have made finding significant items much harder today than in the past.
Back in 1975, the four friends began pooling their finds, which eventually became the museum’s foundation. The collection was initially housed in an old barn attached to an unstable boathouse. Vlaming and André Eelman, both born locally and familiar with the coastline, took over the business. They secured a loan from the bank with local council support to expand the site. The team rebuilt floors, reinforced the sheds, and added a café and restaurant. Every day, staff members label the exhibits and add clippings from local newspapers, often sourced from old folk who give talks or appear in videos playing on a loop.
Most of the items on display hold little monetary value, though the collection includes rare finds such as a mammoth tusk and bones from prehistoric animals that once roamed forests connecting Poland to Scotland. Amber, fossilized resin from ancient conifers, frequently washes ashore, alongside gum arabic, solidified masses from the bellies of 18th- and 19th-century ships. Fishermen often catch these gum arabic deposits in their nets. The ordinary items, however, form the bulk of the exhibit: hundreds of life jackets, helmets from oil-rig platforms, and round orange buoys bearing the names of ports like Mumbai, Istanbul, and Hamburg.
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The museum holds hundreds of bottles with messages inside. Judith Vlaming notes that Russian sailors are known to throw the most vodka overboard. A notebook records these messages, and the staff attempts to reply to every one. Larger items, such as anchors and dismantled boats, stand in the surrounding meadow where Texel sheep graze. But the oranges, pinks and turquoises cannot totally stifle the tragic images conjured up by the word ‘shipwreck’. After all, boats that are lost at sea often go down ‘with all hands’.
A Year-Round Operation
In the summer months, the museum transforms into a lively attraction. The site is an emptier and more ambiguous place in the off-season. A world in which outlandish objects and proper names invite you to dream, to venture far afield: New Fortune, Silver Ring, Leda, Cape Town, Valparaíso. The collection contains names that evoke distant lands and adventures. These proper names invite guests to dream of voyages across the globe. Yet, the objects also carry a somber undertone. The word “shipwreck” itself suggests loss and tragedy.
Christmas at the Coast
Staff members maintain the grounds daily. They label the exhibits and add clippings from local newspapers. This information often comes from elderly residents who give talks. Videos of these talks play on a continuous loop for visitors. The museum is located at 141a Pontweg in De Koog, Texel. The postal code is 179 MA. Interested parties can visit the website juttersflora.nl for more details.
Shipwreck and Beachcombing Museum (Schipbreak en Juttersmuseum), 141a Pontweg, 179 MA De Koog, Texel, Netherlands. Visit juttersflora.nl A version of this article appears in the November 2017 issue of ‘The World of Interiors’. Learn about our subscription offers.
