• Group photo of Dutch Trading Post Heritage Network in Ayutthaya, Thailand

    Photo: Netherlands Embassy in Tokyo
     
    Photo: Netherlands Embassy in Tokyo

    Japan: from reviving to connecting

    2016 was an exciting year for shared heritage in Japan, and has created a strong foundation and direction for upcoming Shared Heritage activities in 2017-2020.

    This year, Dutch maritime archaeologists have been exchanging know-how with their Japanese counterparts, for instance in the excavation of the wreck of a 19th century Dutch ship near the Okinawa coast. In March, Cees van ’t Veen, director of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), visited Japan at the invitation of the Kyushu National Museum as part of their knowledge exchange in the field of maritime archaeology. Mr. van ’t Veen also launched an exhibition on ‘adaptive reuse’, a strategy to revitalise historical inner cities, which is also a hot topic in Japan. This paid off immediately, as the Japan-Netherlands Architectural Cultural Association (JNACA) invited the Dutch architectural office space & matter to do a workshop on this topic with students of Saga University, using an old townhouse in the historical city of Arita. Saga University, RCE and JNACA are currently exploring the possibility of holding a larger workshop involving more cities.

    The Dutch East India Company’s two former trading posts in Japan, the Hirado Dutch Trading Post and the Nagasaki Deshima Trading Post, are both increasingly active in international cultural networks. Hirado is the headquarters for the Dutch Trading Post Heritage Network, which was established to connect former Dutch trading posts in the East Asian region. In November of this year, the third annual meeting of the Network was held in Ayutthaya, Thailand, with representatives from organisations in Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands attending. The programme included a workshop on storytelling held by Theo Meereboer, a specialist in museum concepts from the RCE, seeing as the affiliated organisations are working on a joint exhibition to introduce the Network to a wide audience. In 2017, the fourth annual meeting will be held in Nagasaki, Japan. Here, at the former Dutch trading post on Deshima, six reconstructed buildings from the beginning of the 17th century have just been opened. They feature a presentation showing how Deshima and the Dutch connected Japan to the world: goods coming from all over Asia and Europe were unloaded from the ships at Deshima’s ‘sui-mon’ (water-gate), and hauled across the narrow Omotemonbashi bridge into Japan. The reconstruction of this narrow bridge is scheduled for completion in November 2017 and will be the last part of the Holland-Kyushu 2016-2017 project. This collaboration between DutchCulture, the Netherlands Embassy and the local partners in Kyushu has become a huge success in its first year, creating many new exchanges, activating new networks and generating a lot of press attention*.

    * The Dutch radio programme Onvoltooid Verleden Tijd broadcasts a documentary on the Deshima project in two parts. The Japanese national television also did a special on the project in a popular TV programme.
  • Underwater archaeologist exploring the remains of a shipwreck

    Photo: Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
     
    Photo: Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands

    Australia: closer cooperation on maritime archaeology

    On 29 November, closer Dutch-Australian cooperation was announced to further enhance research on maritime archaeology and underwater heritage management.

    During a networking event hosted by the Netherlands Embassy in Australia at the International Congress for Underwater Archaeology (IKUWA6) in Fremantle, Martijn Manders of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and Andrew Viduka of the Australian Department of Environment and Energy announced that both institutes are working on a Memorandum of Understanding for the purpose of further collaboration in research on maritime archaeology and underwater cultural heritage management. 
     
    The MoU will build upon the huge boost that Dutch-Australian maritime heritage received thanks to the successful Dirk Hartog anniversary year. With this special year coming to a close, now is the time to look ahead. So far, four Dutch shipwrecks have been found in Australian waters, including the ‘Batavia’ and the ‘Zuytdorp’. At least three more are still missing, among them the ‘Aagtekerke’ and the ‘Fortuyn’. Earlier this year, the Netherlands and Australia jointly searched for the ‘Fortuyn’ near the Cocos Keeling Islands and Christmas Island, but the wreck was not found. More recently, Dutch and Australian maritime archaeologists conducted fieldwork at the sites of the Dutch shipwrecks ‘Zeewijk’ and ‘Batavia’ as part of the ‘Shipwrecks of the Roaring 40s’ project.  

     
  • Unveiling of the Dirk Hartog plate by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima at the Western Australian Museum

    Photo: Western Australian Museum
     
    Photo: Western Australian Museum

    Australia: King and Queen unveil Dirk Hartog plate during State Visit

    King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima have unveiled the Dirk Hartog plate at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle on 31 October.

    The inscribed plate, left behind by Dirk Hartog and his crew on the island where they landed in 1616, is the oldest known European object ever found on Australian soil. It has been preserved and restored by the Rijksmuseum and was brought to Western Australia to become part of the ‘Travellers and Traders Exhibition in the Indian Ocean World’, a new exhibition initiated especially for this anniversary year (open until 23 April 2017).

    The week before the State Visit, celebrations took place in the Shark Bay region to mark the exact day of the landing. Ceremonies were held on 25 October, both on the island and in the seaside town of Denham where a new statue was unveiled by the premier of Western Australia.  

    Throughout the year 2016, the historical landing of Hartog has been marked in Australia and the Netherlands with a great number of commemorations, celebrations and community activities, varying from festivals, concerts and exhibitions, to lectures, congresses and publications of articles, magazines and books. The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is collecting your favourite moments of the Dirk Hartog year on their website. To share your favourite Dirk Hartog moment, head here.
  • Opening of six reconstructed buildings at Deshima

    Photo: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tokyo
     
    Photo: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tokyo

    Japan Special: New narratives on centuries-old heritage this autumn

    In October, also called the ‘Month of Art’ in Japan, a range of events as part of the Holland-Kyushu 2016-2017 programme were hosted by the Dutch Embassy.

    The Holland-Kyushu 2016-2017 programme is an initiative by DutchCulture and the Netherlands Embassy in Tokyo. 

    Deshima

    On 19 October six reconstructed buildings on the island of Deshima, home to the former Dutch trading post in Japan from the 17th until the 19th century, were officially opened by the mayor of Nagasaki. They are reconstructions of buildings that existed on this site at the beginning of the 19th century and were used as sugar, copper and sugar storehouses. Now that the six buildings have been completed, the streetscape of Deshima looks the same as it did at the beginning of the 19th century.

    The reconstruction of these buildings was part of the third phase of the Deshima reconstruction process. This phase will come to an end in November of next year, when the little bridge that connected the artificial island with the mainland of Nagasaki is due to be completed. At present it is only possible to enter Deshima via the sea gate. The completion of the Omotemonbashi Bridge has symbolic significance: for more than 200 years, the goods, knowledge and people brought by the VOC ships were allowed to enter Japan only by means of this narrow bridge. The reconstruction is funded entirely by the city of Nagasaki, but Dutch expertise has been drawn upon extensively for the research and reconstruction process.

    Coinciding with the festivities on Deshima, the International Siebold Collection Working Conference was held in Nagasaki from 20 to 22 October, organised by the Siebold Huis from Leiden. Scholars from Japan, the Netherlands and Germany met to discuss the collection of the great Japan-researcher Philipp Franz von Siebold, who lived in the 19th century and brought so many artefacts from Japan during his sojourn at the Deshima trading post as a physician.
     
    For more information please click here. 

    Arita

    A few days after the festivities on Deshima, on October 22, a ceremony to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Arita porcelain was held in Arita Town in the presence of a member of the Japanese imperial family. The history of Arita porcelain is strongly connected with the Netherlands, In the second half of the 17th century, when China’s porcelain production came to a halt due to internal strife, the Dutch turned to Arita to satisfy the European demand for porcelain. The Dutch instructed the Arita craftsmen to develop coloured porcelain, which they did – and the product took Europe by storm.

    And history repeats itself… in this same month of October a range of more than 380 new products created by sixteen designers collaborating with local porcelain producers from the area around Arita went on sale in Tokyo in three major stores of the warehouse chain Seibu Sogo. The embassy teamed up with Saga Prefecture to create a framework in which designers and producers could come together and create new, exciting designs to appeal to a new public.

    For more information please click here. 

    Hirado

    Hirado, home to a community of about 40,000 people, is a relatively small group of islands near the west coast of Nagasaki. But it has a rich history, as the first Europeans arrived here to trade in the 16th century. The first trading post was established in 1609, after the finalising of official bonds between Japan and the Netherlands. The ruling Matsura clan allowed the Dutch to settle in the area until 1641, when the trading post was moved to the small, secluded island of Deshima.

    The Matsura family developed their own style of tea ceremony, different from the Kyoto style, and also a special assortment of Japanese sweets. A document categorising all 100 different types of sweets, the ‘Encyclopedia of 100 Sweets’ was discovered by Akira Matsura, the current lord of Hirado, in 1998. Over the years, many parties have asked Mr. Matsura if he would lend out this document for their projects, but he has always refused, until the idea was proposed of having Dutch designers redesign these sweets. He agreed, as the Dutch embassy was involved and he has high regard for Japan’s bond with the Netherlands.

    This year’s annual tea ceremony on 23 October was an all-Dutch event: The Dutch Tea Ceremony, with utensils and sweets designed by the artists and designers Roosmarijn Pallandt and Studio Ina&Matt.

    For more information please click here.  

    ‘Van Bosse’ shipwreck

    The first part of the search for the ‘Van Bosse’, built in 1854, led to the finding of several objects and many interesting local stories, which could ultimately lead to the discovery of the wreck.

    This August, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands joined forces with the Kyushu National Museum and the University of Okinawa to conduct exploratory research on the wreck of the ‘Van Bosse’. The total research will focus on exploring opportunities for mapping the site of the ‘Van Bosse’ and providing local sports divers with access to the wreck

    The Dutch ship sank in 1857 off Tarama Island, Okinawa Prefecture. The crew survived and resided on the island for a couple of months. The story of the ‘Van Bosse’ was transmitted from generation to generation and today forms an essential part of local history. The site of the shipwreck is protected locally, but an archaeologically significant assessment of the site had not yet been made. During the first part of the project, scenarios were developed on how the ship must have sunk because it bumped against the reef and sprang a leak. Furthermore, several objects that are presumably from the ship were discovered, but the ship itself remains unfound.

    In the coming months, Japanese researchers will continue the search for the ‘Van Bosse’and start an educational programme, while their Dutch counterparts will conduct historical research in Dutch and German archives. The discovery of the wreck, combined with the existing stories, would provide an additional cultural and historical dimension to the diving experience at Tarama Island.

    For more information about this project please click here.

  • Conservation Laboratory for Maritime and Underwater Archaeology at Galle


    Description: 
    with a special reference to the Eastern and Northern Provinces 2009-2012 issued by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage in Sri Lanka under the auspices of the Sri Lanka – Netherlands Cultural Cooperation Programme. Sri Lanka has been a centre of maritime trade for a long time. Archaeological heritage exists in marine environments, but also in internal waters and wetlands. This is because of the wider usage of watercrafts and traditional boat and ship technology. The Maritime Archaeological Unit (MAU) was established in 2000 to undertake maritime archaeology work in Sri Lanka. The MAU discovered several underwater archaeological sites. Many of the artefacts found underwater need to be protected. In 2000 a conservation laboratory was established at MAU and up to now several training programmes have been conducted by the conservators from the Netherlands and Australian. However, expertise to conserve materials such as waterlogged wood is limited. In 2003 Galle was declared as the Asia-Pacific Regional Centre for underwater archaeology. Presently, the MAU is nominated as an UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence. Therefore, there is a need for a state of the art research and conservation laboratory for research and conservation. OBJECTIVES A state of the art research and conservation laboratory for research and conservation.

  • Avondster project


    Description: 
    Since the early 1990s a Sri Lanka-international team of maritime archaeologists, historians and museum curators have been doing research in the Bay of Galle and in the extensive archives in Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. Underwater surveys have revealed an impressive number of heritage sites, dated from the 13th century up to modern times. From 2000 these activities became more institutionalized with the forming of a Maritime Archaeological Unit (MAU) Sri Lanka. The main objective was to extend capacity in Sri Lanka for maritime heritage management. These goals were met by training through an excavation project of the Anglo-Dutch East-Indiaman Avondster in the Bay of Galle. After the ship was discovered in 1993 it became clear that the wreck was increasingly exposed, and it was considered important to implement a rescue archaeology project on the site to safeguard this important collection. From 2001 till the end of 2004 important sections of the ship have been excavated, collections conserved and preparations made to open a first gallery in the National Maritime Museum in Galle at the end of 2005. On 26 December 2004, only days after the excavation of the Avondster was finalized, the MAU premises was destroyed in the Tsunami. Luckily all members of the team survived the killer-wave, but a substantial part of the historical collections and equipment were lost. It is unsettling to realize that all the efforts to safeguard an important historical collection have eventually contributed to the opposite; the loss of a substantial part of the excavated collection while the remaining artefacts on the wreck are possibly now better conserved due to a thick layer of Tsunami sediment. The staff of the MAU had prepared a programme for the survey, management and presentation of other maritime heritage in Galle starting January 2005. Despite the unfathomable humanitarian disaster that is taking place around them and the loss of their facilities, the spirit of this group of young professionals is unbroken. They are determined that the future for this new discipline and thus their own future should not be washed away by the Tsunami. Immediately after the disaster an international network was activated to bring together the necessary equipment and funds. Nearly three months after the Tsunami destroyed the facilities, the team are in a position to resume their activities. On 24 March the new building for the MAU was officially opened and the basic infrastructure was restored and the recovered artefacts placed back in conservation. Risk and decay of collections are inherent in almost any kind of historical-archaeological investigation and museum display. It is ironical that the sea took a collection, once formed through a shipwreck, now centuries later for the second time. The fact that the wreck site appears untouched by the Tsunami raises the issue of where is the safest place for the material. However, at the end of the day it will be determination of these young professionals that will safeguard the collection, wherever it is situated, for future generations. With their enthusiasm to show the rich maritime history of Sri Lanka to the world, the maritime heritage might be safeguarded from the biggest threat it faces; the treasure hunters who are still creating a much bigger risk to heritage in the region than any natural disaster. OBJECTIVES * Capacity building (training and infrastructure) in the field of maritime archaeology and the conservation of the salvaged artefacts. * To conserve and investigate the Avondster site. * To gain knowledge on Dutch ship-wrecks in the Bay of Galle, and Dutch shipwrecks from the colonial expansion time in general. * Developing a research programme about the role of Galle as an emporium in the Indian Ocean region. * Increasing public awareness through the establishment of a maritime archaeological museum in Sri Lanka. * To formulate a viable policy for the protection of antiquities. RESULTS Following this project, the CCF will explore the possibility of developing underwater tourism within and in the vicinity of the Galle harbour. The MAU has now grown into a full institutional operation under Deputy Director General, Dr. Mohan Abeyratne and with UNESCO Bangkok funding for the commencement of the Asia-Pacific Maritime Training School. Policy papers are now being framed to establish the International Oceanographic Research Institute linked to the MAU in Galle. See also: Galle Harbour Project (Project)


  • The Foundation of Historic and Artistic Heritage of Pernambuco is the executing agency of the State Cultural Policy, in all its dimensions and expressions, which is being developed on a democratic basis.

    Fundarpe's mission is the promotion, support, encouragement, preservation and diffusion of cultural identities and productions of Pernambuco State in a structuring and systemic way, focused on social inclusion, universalization of access, cultural diversity, internalization of actions and integrated regional development.

    Created on July 17, 1973, the Foundation aims, in addition to encouraging culture, to preserve the historical and artistic monuments of Pernambuco State. It is part of the Indirect State Administration and is linked to the Secretary of Culture.

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  • UNESCO fieldschool for Underwater Cultural Heritage


    Description: 
    During the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage meeting in Hong Kong 2003 it was decided that a regional field school was going to be established in Galle, Sri Lanka. This place was chosen because it had been the home of Sri Lankan maritime archaeology since 1992 and Sri Lanka’s first major project (‘Avondster’) was due to end in 2005. The Sri Lankan team, a partially explored site, the laboratory, infrastructure and institutional support were therefore, soon to be available for a new project. Although the facilities were partly destroyed by the Tsunami of 2005, funding has since been provided to restore these facilities. Although a maritime archeology course was given in Sri Lanka in 2007, the initial plan to organize the UNESCO field school in Galle did not go through, because of domestic difficulties in Sri Lanka. The field school was eventually based in Chanthaburi in Thailand. The knowledge and experience that UNESCO has gained in Asia is now also applied in the training of maritime archeologists in the Caribbean. The course would be an intensive 6 weeks course. During this project, additional field schools would be organized where scientists of the partner countries were invited to join the project and where specific courses were given. The topics were identified by making an inventory (through questionnaires) of what skills / training they felt were missing in their countries. During the courses individuals were identified who could be encouraged and supported to do a (n additional) University degree and/or to do additional fieldwork at other maritime archaeology units in the world. The trainers are renowned experts in the topics they are teaching. However, due to the robust Curriculum, these trainers can be exchanged while still the same level of education can be guaranteed. The Curriculum of the courses has the UNESCO Convention 2001 incorporated. The elements of the Annex (Code of Good Practice) are a core part of the teaching program. This course was worked out in the UNESCO foundation course training manual in 2012. The preparations for the UNESCO field school started in 2007. The trainings have been given in the years 2009 and 2010. The Netherlands cultural heritage agency has given financial support to this project, based on the mutual cultural heritage framework. In this framework, the Netherlands is working on the conservation of the heritage the country shares with other countries. Many shipwrecks in the waters around for example Indonesia or Suriname are part of this shared heritage, and therefore training more qualified underwater archeologists in Asia and the Pacific is in the interests of the Netherlands as well. OBJECTIVES The Foundation Courses aim to bring regional trainees of different academic backgrounds and who are experts in their own countries, to a common level of understanding on the multi‐disciplinary nature of maritime archaeology. Through a six-week intensive training program, trainees are trained on the basics of underwater archaeology and cultural heritage management through lectures and field work. Topics include the 2001 Convention and its Annex, introduction to underwater archaeology, site significance, in-situ preservation, museology, Asian ship technology and ceramics, among others. The course also includes two weeks of field training in underwater surveying methods at real shipwreck site. RESULTS During the project, already 5 training courses have been taught in Thailand (First foundation course 26 October – 4 December 2009, Second foundation course 1 February – 15 March 2010, Advanced course GIS 20-29 September 2010, Third foundation course 14 February – 26 March 2011 & Advanced course on Situ preservation of underwater cultural heritage 19 – 26 October 2011). This means that already seventy people have benefited from the courses given at the UNESCO field school. * Foundation Course 1(Chanthaburi Thailand, 26-10-2009 4-12-2009) Fifteen national experts from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand successfully completed the requirements of the Foundation Course. Expert trainers/resource persons who shared their expertise with the national experts came from ICOMOS International Committee on Underwater Cultural Heritage (ICUCH), the Nautical Archaeology Society (UK), UNESCO, Australia and Thailand. * Foundation Course 2(Chanthaburi Thailand, 1-3-2010 9-4-2010) The Second Foundation Course was held in early Summer to coincide with the diving season within the vicinity of Chanthaburi. Nineteen trainees from ten countries (Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam) took part in the training programme. Based on the feedbacks of the regional trainees who took part during the First Foundation Course, the curriculum and timetable for the Second Foundation Course were slightly revised. The changes in the timetable of main topics were aimed to better prepare the regional trainees for their underwater survey activities. The draft curriculum of the First Foundation Course was further enhanced by the participating expert trainers for the Second Foundation Course. During their post-training assessment, the regional trainees expressed their satisfaction on how the Second Foundation Course was able to meet their training needs. * Foundation Course 3(Chanthaburi Thailand, 14-2-2011 15-3-2011) * GIS Application in the Management of Underwater Archaeology (Chanthaburi Thailand (20-09-2010 29-9-2010) The Advanced Training Course on the application of Geographic Information Systems in the management of underwater cultural heritage was planned to be organized during the 3rd quarter of 2010. The course enables regional trainees to understand the fundamentals of GIS, learn techniques using ArcGIS software, learn how to establish a GIS system and develop GIS applications in managing underwater archaeology. It helps develop necessary skills in using databases and GIS procedures including data entry, manipulation, editing, analysis and mapping. * Advanced Course on In Situ Preservation (19-10-2011 /26-10- 2011 Khao Laem Ya-Moo Ko Samed National Park Rayong, Thailand) The Advanced Training Course on In Situ Preservation was the last training course in the series of the training courses under the Norway-funded Project "Safeguarding Underwater Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific" (2009-2011). The course enables regional trainees to acquire hands-on experience in conducting site preservation using In Situ concept and methodology in which the originality of the wreck site is the priority. The course was facilitated by two experts from the Netherlands and Denmark, initiating the development on necessary skills in utilizing local materials in preparing Geotextiles and debris nets as well as data collection on threats and environment, site monitoring and protection analyses. See also: Karina Acton (Expert) Somlak Charoenpot (Expert) Sayan Prainchainjit (Expert) Mark Staniforth (Expert) Christopher Underwood (Expert) Erbprem Vatcharangkul (Expert) Hans van Tilburg (Expert) Bobby Orillaneda (Expert) Charlotte Minh-Ha Pham (Expert) David Gregory (Expert) The Kingdom of Norway through the UNESCO (Organisation)


  • The Museum of Prehistory and Early History is one of the largest collections spezializing in the pre- and early history of the Old World. The exhibition covers the prehistoric cultures of Europe and the Ancient Near East from their beginnings down through the Middle Ages. The Museum of Prehistory and Early History is one of the largest collections specializing in the pre- and early history of the Old World. The exhibition covers the prehistoric cultures of Europe and the Ancient Near East from their beginnings down through the Middle Ages.

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  • The Fortress of Amsterdam, a city with a great history! Kings and Emperors walked through the Fortress and in this Fortress the great Napoleon Bonaparte ate his lunch. This is the spot which formed the Netherlands in the 17th and 19th century, the city with is the best contained Fortress of our country and is an example for international Fortresses.

    The Fortress museum lets you experience how the soldiers protected the surroundings of Amsterdam, from enemies from the far east. In the dark shelters of the Fortress, where the soldiers of earlier times had fought, slept and lived. The Fortress is a journey back in time, from the Golden Age to the first World War, from the Dutch war of independece to the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Fortress that protected Amsterdam is an experience throughout your visit!

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