‘Weesp has its own story to tell’
How are things going in Weesp, less than a year after the merger with Amsterdam? In a short series, Weespers looks back on the honeymoon months. Today the fourth and final episode: curator Lisette Zijp of Museum Weesp.
On October 27, the flag flew over the old city hall of Weesp. The flag of Amsterdam is easy to understand. The capital celebrated its 747th birthday on the day, so for the first time since the merger the flag was also raised in Weesp. Based on social media from the capital’s flag display to frowned eyebrows and grunts, curator Lisette Zijp of Museum Weesp says that is stored in the city hall. “It was also a surprise for us. Before the merger, the usher climbed up to raise the flag. Now a van from the municipality will drive by to do that.”
It is all still somewhat hidden, also because the merger with Amsterdam in Weesp has considerably increased the attention for its own identity. In addition to Zijp, this is also due to the public’s interest in the exhibition Denkend aan Weesp, a collection of works of art that reveal the close bond between the city and the water over the centuries. “There is a need to make it clear to the outside world what Weesp stands for. Also as a message for all newcomers who settle in the city dying. Weesp has its own story to tell.”
On their own
The Museum Weesp has been in the hands of the municipality since its foundation in the thirty years of the last century, and so the museum with the two powerful forces also moved to Amsterdam with the merger. As a farewell gift, the municipality of Weesp anchored the future of the museum in an ambitious policy plan last year. “The plan is based on self-employment in the long term,” says the curator. “We have to grow for that. We are now at 6,000 visitors per year, which must be 30,000 to be able to stand on our own two feet.”
For the time being, the museum is housed at the Amsterdam City Archives. Zijp is happy with the transition. “This museum proves exactly why the merger was necessary. We have gained a lot more options. The collection in the depot is mapped and digitized. There was never a budget for that. Another example: there is now a UV-resistant foil on the windows to protect the collection. Perhaps the most important change is that we are now surrounded by a great deal of expertise and experience in the preservation of special pieces.”
20 meters archive
During the interview, movers come and go by the dozen. It turns out to be the archive of the municipality of Weesp, which will probably be sent to Amsterdam. storage does not require a column of trucks, says Zijp. “The archives gave a good picture of the difference in scale between the two cities. Amsterdam has 50 kilometers of archives, and now maybe 20 meters from us. No, that doesn’t hurt. The archive is also inventoried and digitized. It will only eventually be for Weespers and other interested parties to consult the archives.”
The need for professionalization came to light unintentionally recently when a few boxes unexpectedly appeared in the depot of the museum with the earthenware tableaus that partly represent the former monument to the Weesper cocoa king Coenraad van Houten. “The tiles have been searched for decades,” says Zijp. “They were untraceable, but turned out to be lying in the attic. The monument was demolished in the 1960s. It was probably the intention to throw the tiles away too, but luckily someone stored the boxes here.”
Big ambitions call for big changes. The museum is now open five afternoons a week, and that is only possible thanks to the help of sixty volunteers. In time, the organization will have to be expanded with more powerful forces. And to attract more visitors, museum spectacles will have to be offered from time to time. Zijp: “The advantage of the new situation is that we can ask the museums in Amsterdam to loan special pieces. There is a lot of beauty in the depots. And the lines are short. Consultations are already underway with colleagues in the city.”
Band meets Amsterdam
One thing: the theme of the exhibitions will be and remain Weesp. In particular, the rich history as an industrial city and supplier of water, beer, jenever, cocoa and porcelain always offers many starting points for the museum, says Zijp. “There are also many similarities with Amsterdam on that point. Weesp is now seen as a deceased part of the Gooi, but the bond with Amsterdam is much older and much closer. From a historical perspective, the choice of Amsterdam as a merger partner makes perfect sense. And Weesp is also very interesting for Amsterdam.”
Does Zijp see a downside to the merger in addition to all the pluses mentioned? “We are now part of a very large organization. This has many advantages, but sometimes also disadvantages. My colleague Gerard will retire early next year. In the old situation I went to my manager to talk about his succession. In Amsterdam it is very different. There, according to the rules, the vacancy is first offered as an intern and then again externally. It may take six months before a list of candidates is available. Here it was, so to speak, done in an afternoon.”