About

In 1932 the Afsluitdijk (the IJsselmeer Barrier Dam) closed off the former Zuiderzee from the North Sea, and the two inland seas thus created were called the IJsselmeer and the Markermeer (meer is Dutch for sea). The Zuiderzee Museum is oriented toward the history, the current situation and the future of this area. In 2011, the Zuiderzee Museum will devote much attention to its Year of the crafts. Every month from April to the end of October, the museum will spotlight a different craft in which both adults and children can participate. This story is visualized in the outdoor museum with historical buildings, and in the indoor museum with thematic exhibitions. Heritage, visual art, photography and design play an important role in this context.

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Populair ships from Enkhuizen

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Sights in Enkhuizen

Zuiderzee Museum Enkhuizen

In the Zuiderzee Museum you will make a special journey through the past. While you walk along old cobbled streets through the small fishing village that mainly consists of houses, a church, shops and workshops from the former Zuiderzee era, children can dress up, play old Dutch games or make a boat out of a wooden clog. A special museum where you have a lot to do. 

History of the Zuiderzee Museum

The indoor museum was opened in 1950 and at the end of the sixties the construction of the open-air museum began. It was opened in 1983 and offers an overview of the Zuiderzee between 1880 and 1930 and information about the completion of the Afsluitdijk in 1932.

About the Zuiderzee Museum

The Zuiderzee Museum consists of an indoor and outdoor museum. The indoor museum includes a hall with historic ships from the time of the Zuiderzee. The outdoor museum contains authentic historical buildings that show how people lived in the time of the Zuiderzee. The buildings include a church, a fish smokehouse, shops and houses from the surrounding fishing villages. In addition, employees and volunteers show historical craftsmanship from life at the beginning of the last century. Temporary exhibitions in the interior museum show the rich collection of photography, costumes and design.