Gouden beeldje van een engeltje die op een Arreslede stond.

Horse sleigh decoration.

Large horse-drawn sleighs belonging to wealthy families were a common sight on the ice. The front featured a beautifully carved and gilded statue, often a lion bearing the family coat of arms. The sleigh decoration shown here depicts a “sea child” with a trumpet.

arrow_circle_down

“In the past, wealthy people travelled in horse-drawn sleighs; today, they do so in Porsches.”
André Groeneveld
Conservator Zuiderzeemuseum

Fortunately, the winters around the Zuiderzee were not only harsh, angry and severe. The season has its own festivals and traditions. Numerous activities moved from land to ice. Rich and poor alike played kolf on the ice, fishermen went ice sailing for fun, and in Hindeloopen, the women went priksleeën (ice skating). Sleighs can be found in both Friesland and West Friesland. Like prik- and duwsleeën (ice skates), these were often richly decorated.

When it has frozen enough, an ice fair even appears, or you can attend a traditional ice wedding spectacle on Marken. On the ice, there is a freer moral code with drinking, flirting and the necessary debauchery. The relaxed atmosphere that is so characteristic of summer fairs and carnivals. Today, the ice still evokes a festive atmosphere. As soon as it freezes, winter fever strikes the whole country!

From het Jacket made of chintz to de Scale model of the Hollandse tjalk Berend. Discover the online collection of the Zuiderzeemuseum.