Over arcadia
17 May —
24 Aug 2025
Stroomopwaarts / Upstream

Long ago, South-East Fryslân used to border the sea. The Linde and Tjonger rivers flowed from inland to the sea and created a unique but vulnerable delta. In 1701 and 1703, when the dykes between Lemmer and Kuinre were washed away, the region was flooded with brine. Lemmer and the locks at Schoterzijl and Kuinre were the gateways to the cities of the western Netherlands – where boats laden with peat sold their wares – and to the wide world beyond. In the opposite direction, high-ranking guests and foreign visitors disembarked in Lemmer and travelled upstream from village to village – through De Jouwer and It Hearrenfean to Beetstersweach, Drachten and onwards, in search of new culture. Travel Stroomopwaarts / Upstream yourself, from museum to museum and (re)discover South-East Fryslân.

Locations: Museum Dr8888, Museum Belvédère, Museum Heerenveen, The Vlechtmuseum and Museum Opsterlân

Five museums in Fryslân collaborate with Tresoar to visualise the history of the peat landscape. Tresoar is the archive for Frisian literature in Leeuwarden.

Exhibition at Museum Dr8888 Together with: Smelne’s Erfskip and local village and neighbourhood associations Opening: 15 April

In the exhibition entitled Van Plaggenhut tot Papegaaienbuurt / From Turf Hut to Parrots Neighbourhood in Drachten, you travel through the history of Drachten and Smellingerlân, discovering how they emerged and were designed, from the first turf huts to the bustling 1920s.

Sod hut near Drachten, ca. 1930, Smelne’s Erfskip

Exhibition at Museum Heerenveen Opening: 16 April

At Museum Heerenveen you will discover the link between its cultural-historical collection and modern art. Present and past come together in the landscape, the economy and community life in which water and earth are paramount. Go with the flow, or against it if you prefer.

Koningsdiep map Vegelin Opsterland detail. Collection Tresoar.

Exhibition at Museum Opsterlân Opening: 1 May

Museum Opsterlân tells the story of peat extraction in Nij Beets, the rise of the labour movement and the story of the aristocracy in Beetsterzwaag. As part of Stroomopwaarts / Upstream, the museum will display old maps and atlases from Tresoar’s treasure trove, showing how the landscape changed between 1700 and 1920.

Source unknown, Peat stitching (tripping) near Heerenveen (presumably Jouke Zwart, Tjalleberd), ca. 1925. Collection Museum Heerenveen.

Exhibition at Museum Belvédère Opening: 7 May

Excavated peatlands became polders. Some were swampy, others were suitable for agriculture. Photos and paintings visualise the changing landscape. From its collection, Museum Belvédère presents art associated with the landscape between the low-lying peat swamps: De Deelen and the Tjonger river.

Egge Baarveld (1955-2006) – untitled, 2001. Museum Belvédère, gift Martin Beljon.

The Nationaal Vlechtmuseum in Noardwâlde Opening: 14 May

At the former Rijksrietvlechtschool (National Reed Weaving School) you can view the Top 25 of design objects from Noordwolde. The exhibition is about the positioning of designs from Noardwâlde. Tastes and interior designs in the Netherlands and abroad are subject to change. How does that affect the appreciation of designs from Noordwolde?

The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, furnished with furniture by Jonkers Noordwolde ca 1960.