National History Month opened at UNESCO World Heritage Site Schokland
Commissioner of the King in Flevoland Arjen Gerritsen opened the National History Month on Saturday, October 3, in the monumental Museum Church on Schokland. Throughout the month of October, Museum Schokland is organizing various activities around the national theme ‘Body & Mind’. The activities are free of charge, allowing the museum to make history accessible to as wide an audience as possible.
During the opening, the unique and often lonely profession of lighthouse keeper was central. Bas Visscher (Museum Schokland) spoke about the history of the various lighthouses in the Noordoostpolder and on Urk. This was followed by a conversation with Liset Moerdijk (Prins te Paard) and Martin-Jan van Santen. They developed the theatrical audio tour The Last Light Keeper ('De Laatste Lichtwachter'), inspired by the story of light keeper Van Eerde at the southern tip of Schokland.
A walk to the ‘Zuidpunt’
After the table conversation, visitors were given a headset and the audio tour was started together. From Middelbuurt, they walked over the former island to the southern tip of Schokland. Along the way, the story brought the history of the light keeper and the remote life on Schokland to life. The walk ended at the foundations of a former lighthouse at the Zuidpunt. There, warm chocolate milk with ‘Schokkerbrok’ was waiting for the visitors, provided by Restaurant Schokland.
National History Month at Schokland
Museum Schokland looks back on a special opening, in which a small and personal story from the history of Schokland was placed in a broader perspective. Throughout the whole month of October, Museum Schokland organizes various activities as part of the National History Month. The activities are free of charge. This allows Museum Schokland to make the program accessible and approachable for a wide audience.
More information about the program can be found at www.museumschokland.nl.