Always a story at the kitchen table

Visitors from all over the world come to the Van Eesteren Museum in Nieuw West. Linda Ottens-Falkenberg is a volunteer museum guide here. “I welcome them hospitably with coffee and snacks.”500 books and notebooks with notes were donated to the Van Eesteren Museum by the heirs of interior designer Benno Premsela and his partner architect Friso Broeksma. “We have archived everything with a team of volunteers,” Linda explains. “Everything has passed through our hands and is now on display in the museum home at Freek Oxstraat 27. An unexpected, wonderful task that I had the privilege to coordinate and that I am proud of.”

“Everyone knows Premsela from the beautiful shop windows of de Bijenkorf. It’s something we don’t often think about. Just like how we all used to climb on the jungle gyms designed by the architect Aldo van Eyck. People who have influenced how we live and dwell today.”Fake suns and coal stovesVisitors to the Van Eesteren Museum are taken on a tour by one of the volunteer museum guides, through the Tuinstad Slotermeer, the outdoor museum of the Van Eesteren Museum. “Did you know, for example, that Van Eesteren literally wanted to put Amsterdammers in the spotlight? Every house he designed had to receive sunlight. No stuffy inner-city alleys, but light, air, and space. He checked his models with a fake sun to see how the light entered the houses.”

“And you can visit the Museum House with a guide to experience what daily life was like in a modern family home in the fifties. Heating with a coal stove, making calls with a bakelite phone in the hallway, and cooking in a Bruynzeel kitchen: you can feel and smell life during the post-war years. And now you can also look into the books.”Protected heritage“The museum also organizes boat safaris, bike tours, engaging lectures, events, and more, all focused on the urban development of Amsterdam. If you see a group of Koreans walking through Nieuw West, you can be sure they are getting to know the architecture inside and out in Nieuw West. We can be proud of our district. Here too, we have protected heritage. There are so many stories to tell.”Every day a new story“And that’s what makes volunteering at the Van Eesteren Museum so enjoyable. I discover a new story every day, I really have something to share when I come home. I meet people from all corners of the world, and I work in a very enthusiastic team at the most beautiful spot on the Sloterplas.”

Photo: Marleen HoogkampInterested in doing volunteer work?At the Van Eesteren MuseumView the open positions here) or somewhere else?
You can find all volunteer vacancies (over 1500!) at:vacaturebank.vca.nu– We are happy to help you find something that suits you!
Can’t figure it out online, and prefer to discuss it face to face with us here?Then make an appointment at one of our branches.or call 020-5301220