Around the former Zuiderzee, crafts, often related to fishing, were indispensable. In 't Zuiderzeedorp, you can discover how these crafts were practised in the past. Take a look at the blacksmith, the sailmaker or the fish smokehouse and see how craftsmanship and tradition come together.
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Coopery
Just like the sail-maker, the cooper is also a very important individual in the region around the Zuiderzee. His vats and barrels are indispensable for the preservation of fish and other commodities.
Just like the sail-maker, the cooper is also a very important individual in the region around the Zuiderzee. His vats and barrels are indispensable for the preservation of fish and other commodities.
Herring is literally salted on board. First the fish are placed in the barrel, then a scoop of salt is sprinkled over them and the cooperage begins. The barrel is opened on land and supplemented with more salt and herring. The salt shrinks the herring that was packed earlier.
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Basket weaver’s
In around 1900, there were basket-makers in almost all the villages around the Zuiderzee. They made baskets for vegetables, bread, peat or fish.
In around 1900, there were basket-makers in almost all the villages around the Zuiderzee. They made baskets for vegetables, bread, peat or fish. Herring was transported in round, high baskets, flounders in oval, flat ones. This was due to the shape of the fish.
A basket-maker used twigs or willow shoots, which came from heavy, marshy clay land. Besides baskets, he also produced traps for catching eels. The manufacture of this kind of basket trap is specialized, accurate work. The twigs are peeled thinly and woven in such a way that the eel cannot escape once it is inside the basket.
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Smith
Perhaps the smith was the most important craftsman at the end of the nineteenth century. He shod horses, repaired heaters, mended pots and kettles, made iron tools and occasionally ornamental fencing. In fishing villages, he was mainly engaged in making hooks, anchors and sole plates that were fixed to the nets so that these could be trawled along the sea-bed.
With a manually operated pair of bellows, the smith intensifies the fire so that the coals become red-hot. He then ensures that the iron in the fire or smithy becomes so hot that it becomes malleable. With a special hammer, he can then make a tool. How? That is the trick of the trade.
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Steam laundry
Around the Zuiderzee, commercial activities are characterized by their manual craftsmanship and small scale. The advent of the steam engine in around 1870 changed a great deal. Certain activities that had previously been done manually could suddenly be done mechanically. Steam laundries appeared, for example. People could do their washing in large washer drums and it was dried in the drying attic or on the bleaching field. However, employment in the steam laundry was heavy and unhealthy work. It involved much lifting, and there was no time to sit down. It is warm, humid and always slippery. Bleaching, too, was not without its hazards due to the use of lye, a corrosive or caustic substance.
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Ropemaker’s workplace
In bygone days, rope-making yards produced cables for shipyards, sail-making companies, fishing boats and livestock holders. At the rope-making yard in the Museum, various strands are twisted together to make all kinds of rope, such as washing lines, hawsers, and skipping ropes. You can also make a rope yourself.
Turn the wheel and help the rope-maker create a (skipping) rope. In the meantime, the rope-maker explains the details of the craft and the working of the rope walk.
Fishing crafts
Climb aboard and the skipper will tell you all about the boat and life on board.
In the Marker harbour lies an impressive wooden fishing boat, the ‘blazer’ TX11. Climb aboard and the skipper will tell you all about the boat and life on board. What kind of fish did they catch, how long were they away from home and what jobs and chores had to be done on board? The TX11 is one of the only two ‘blazers’ left in the world that are still in service.
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Fish smokehouse
Smoked fish is a delicacy these days. However, smoking fish is not only a matter of pure stimulation of the taste: after smoking, the fish is much less perishable. Herring, eel and mackerel are the most well-known types of fish that are smoked. The fish are given a brief brine treatment in order to assign them the desired salty taste. Fish with large intestinal volumes have to be gutted and cleaned. This takes place in a so-called gromloods (gutting shed).
In the Outdoor Museum you can enjoy a freshly smoked piece of salmon, herring or mackerel.
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Sailmaker's
Prior to the advent of motorized shipping, ships were powered by sails. Sail-makers were therefore important, although expensive, craftsmen. A new sail meant considerable expenditure for a fisherman. If the catch is not up to expectations, the nets can still be kept in order. However, a large tear in the sail is an absolute disaster. Those who have no money for repairs also lose their income.
Sail-making is not a dying profession. However, the target group has changed. Nowadays, it focuses on competition sailors and tourist activities.