Village museum 'De Kluis' Eext

This museum (‘The Vault’) in the village of Eext is located inside a former ice house, built in 1958. The building held 120 cubicles, which people could rent to store their meat and vegetables. With the arrival of home freezers around 1970, the building fell into disuse. You won’t find any frozen food in the building now, but an exhibition space with old crafts such as a wagon-maker, bakery, smithy and barber. Part of the museum holds a reconstruction of a living room from the beginning of the last century with an authentic ceiling, wall cupboards and a built-in bed.

Reconstruction of a living room in De Kluis

A model of Eext

At the centre of the exhibition is a maquette or model of the village of Eext in the year 1754. The maquette reproduces the view of Eext as painted by the artist Van Drielst (1745-1818) when he visited Eext. A few traces of the hedge running around the village can still be seen today. A few farmhouses and a sheepfold also still remain from that time. In addition to the model, there are also display cases with archaeological finds from the banks of the Hunze river close to Eext. The museum also contains an extensive archive and an impressive collection of photos and videos.

Education

‘Out and about with Geessie en Geert’ is an important part of a local heritage project involving schools in the Aa en Hunze community. In specially prepared lessons, pupils from age groups 5 and 6 get to know children of the same age in the year 1910. Afterwards they visit De Kluis, where they can try their hand at making clogs, washing nappies, sorting beans, bowling hoops, walking on stilts, darning socks and writing with chalk and slate.