A taste of salt

Out at sea

A stone's throw away from 'Het Hannemahuis' the tides ebb and flow through the harbour of Harlingen. In the museum you can see that Harlingen is 'soaked in the sea'.

As decoration, but also for the instruction of crews, deft hands built ships models with ropework as fine as gossamer and minute pulleys. Shipowners also liked to have their ships portrayed, preferably in full sail on the sea. These portraits reflect the pride of their owners.

The maritime collection contains artefacts such as a figure-head and a foghorn and also stories such as that of commander Klaas Hoekstra. According to his diary he departed in the direction of Greenland in 1825 to catch whales. His brandnew galleot ship crashed in the polar ice, however, although the crew were presumed to have perished they arrived back in Harlingen after a year of horrors. The merchant fleet and admiralty are also represented in the exhibition.