City Museum Zoetermeer

A unique, energetic and inspiring museum!

The museum displays the past and the present of the city, there is 1000 year of history being presented in only 35 m^2,, while the exhibition space covers approximately a 100 m2.

We hope to open a new city museum + in two years time with 3000 m². At present, among other exiting things, you can see a bone from a mammoth, leather shoes from the Middle Ages, a blood-letting instrument from the `Eighty Years` War and all kinds of mass-cultural interior-products from the post-war period.

In the Fifties of the 20th century Zoetermeer became the urban growth centre of The Hague. The growth from a tiny village into a medium sized town has been a spectacular one. Due to its fast growth in such a short time frame one can see the different architectural styles being present in the different districts of Zoetermeer. Interior design styles also change within 7 to 10 years. That's why the Stadsmuseum Zoetermeer focuses on, apart from the elderly history, collecting and presenting post-war interior goods.

A divers exhibition programme
The museum presents 4 to 5 changing exhibitions through the course of a year with different topics. The different exhibitions share the enthusiasm, energy and inspiration from the dedicated museum staff and volunteers.
All the exibitions have in common that they are surprising and inspiring.

The museum isn't scared of experimenting with new topics that relate to social issues. There are often exibitions that relate to the post-war period in the Dutch history and/or the history of Zoetermeer, such as the exhibition on youth culture and design of the Sixties.
recently the museum hosted the Toi Maori exhibition, on the art and culture of the Maori people in New Zealand. During Toi Maori it was possible for the visitors to get a Maori tattoo from one of the few Maori tattoo masters.
Another example is the exhibition Zoetermeer between Heaven and Earth, the soul and conscience of a modern new town, that focused on interreligious dialogue. The project dealt with religion with respect to urban cohabition during the tumultuous political-religious climate of 2004 in the Netherlands. ( For more details serve to: www.knaw.nl/cfdata/publicaties/detail.cfm?boeken__ordernr=20051108 - 25k)

International partnership with the Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Like Zoetermeer the New Territories of Hong Kong experienced rapid and spectacular growth. We are now planning and hoping to work together on a project to focus on the urban development of growth centres and the effect on the environment.

Social cohesion through culture

The city museum embraces the ENTP understanding that it is important for new towns to bring people together and offer them mutual experiences to enhance social cohesion and city identity. Culture plays a vital role in this process. No culture, no society!
That is why our museum wants to cooperate with others to offer the inhabitants of our city  a wide variety of exhibitions and topics with which they can identify. Create a meeting place for dialog. Connect the past with the present and the future.

Searching for partnership

We would like to create a network of European New Towns City Museums. Exchange collections. Offer exhibitionspace for artists of new towns.
This would not only be beneficial for our museums, but will also enhance social cohesion and European awareness of our inhabitants.

Please contact your local city museum and present this idea.

Fred de Bruin
Staf GS/DA
International Affairs
Zoetermeer
w.f.de.bruin@zoetermeer.nl
+31 615031311 (this is my new mobile)