Fun museums in Deventer

I had never been to Deventer before, so when we were allowed to visit this beautiful city on behalf of VVV Deventer, we seized the opportunity with both hands. We were given an extensive program that included a visit to two museums. These, along with several other fun museums in Deventer, are highlighted in this blog!

The Toy Museum Deventer

The Toy Museum Deventer can be found at Brink 47. We visited the city on Saturday and despite the inclement weather, the Brink was pleasantly crowded. There was a market! The Toy Museum is located just behind Museum de Waag, which we also got to visit. If you visit either museum, you get a discount on your ticket to the other museum. That’s a nice bonus!

Fun for young and old

The Toy Museum opens at 11:00 am. When we arrived at 11:30 a.m. it was still nice and quiet. We got an audio tour at the front desk and explored the museum. The Toy Museum is housed in a century-old merchant building, but because it will be completely remodeled and renovated in 2021, you won’t notice any of that inside. Besides beautiful toys of the past, the toys of today are also featured. Adults see many recognizable toys from their own childhood and children can play in the various rooms. What a fun museum! The Toy Museum Deventer is highly recommended for the autumn vacations!

Museum De Waag

At Brink 56 you will find Museum de Waag. This museum can be found in the oldest weigh house in the Netherlands (built between 1528 and 1531) and is located on the centuries-old market square. Because the ground there used to be very swampy, the building stands 80 cm out of plumb. And that is easy to see! Inside, by the way, you don’t notice any of that. The museum has three floors and on the first floor of the building there is a different exhibition each time. When we were there, there was an exhibition on The Betrayal of Deventer, Disaster Year 1672. Very interesting! The other floors tell more about the history of the Hanseatic city of Deventer. There are several masterpieces, for example. Highly recommended during your visit to this fun and ancient city.

Special museum in the church

Another part of our visit to Deventer was a city walk with city guide Truus Schreijer. Look for more information about the city walk in this blog. She told us during the walk that a few churches in Deventer have a different function these days. Like the beautiful Sint-Nicolaaskerk or Bergkerk at Bergkerklaan 1 in Deventer. This church was built between 1198 and 1209 in the then Port Quarter of the city. Nowadays services are no longer held but the Bergkerk is used for exhibitions, meetings and concerts. The interior of the church is otherwise completely intact, for example, the ancient tombstones are still on the floor and the organ can still be seen. There was a beautiful exhibition at the time we were there with Truus. Also fun: this church is where the choir meets for the world-famous Dickens Festival.

The Charles Dickens Cabinet

The stories of Charles Dickens run like a thread through Deventer. For example, there is a Charles Dickens Cabinet. You can find this permanent Dickens Exhibit on Walstraat where the Dickens Festival is held in December. The museum is located in Deventer’s former women’s prison and the murals take you back in time to this famous English writer. Nice detail: if you come to the museum dressed entirely in Dickens’ style (note: no medieval costume but Victorian costume) you will be allowed in completely free of charge. The collection in the cabinet belongs to Emmy Strik, the initiator of the Dickens Festival. The museum is open year-round on Saturdays between noon and 4 p.m. The clothing of the Dickens Festival is kept and displayed here.

The Geert Grote House

A museum you should definitely not miss in Deventer is the Geert Grote House. Geert Grote (1340 – 1384) was a merchant’s son, but also a very pious man. He was the originator of the Modern Devotion: this emphasized the individual, personal experience of faith. For example, he and his people translated the Bible from Latin into the common vernacular so that many more people could read it. Previously, only monks and priests read the Bible. Because ordinary people read the Bible and made their own judgments, the Church lost power and influence. But perhaps the Plague, which was prevalent in the Netherlands at the time, also played a role in this. Geert Grote himself also died of the Plague. In his parental home, which now houses the museum, he allowed poor and single women to live so that they could form their own religious community there. Very interesting!

One thing is certain: in Deventer you certainly won’t be bored!

Photos: OpstapmetLisa

This blog was editorially created in conjunction with VVV Deventer, the Toy Museum Deventer and Museum de Waag Deventer. Thanks also to city guide Truus Schreijer for the fun city tour!