Het Dordrechts Museum, Groothoofdspoort, Crimpert Salm, Den Witten Haen; almost every street in the inner city of Dordrecht has a monument. Not surprising, when you consider that over a thousand buildings and objects in our old city are designated as monuments. Seventy of these monuments are participating in the Open Monument Days on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September.
An excellent opportunity to take a look inside that special building or that beautiful church that you normally always pass by.
Great time for introductions
So much beauty has been preserved in Dordrecht for centuries. Especially when you look up in the center and admire the beautiful facades or walk along the old harbors, you imagine yourself in times long gone. 'In Dordrecht, every day is a bit of monument day. The city has more than 1,000 monuments; they are tangible reminders of the important place the city occupies in Dutch history, a rich trading past and the centuries-long connection with the water,' says Gerben Baaij, director of Dordrecht Marketing & Partners.
Sustainably preserved and reused
The theme of this year's Open Monument Days is sustainability. Sustainability in the broadest sense of the word," says Femke Bruinsma on behalf of Dordrecht Marketing & Partners. Sustainable monuments will be highlighted, such as the Museum of Education, the most sustainable building in Dordrecht and the surrounding area, due in part to its thermal energy storage system. Watertoren Buitenlust in Dubbeldam was also completely sustainably renovated in 2000, and of course Duurzaamheidscentrum Weizigt cannot be missing from this list.
Walks in your pocket
Many of the more than 1000 monuments can be visited almost daily, because a restaurant or lunchroom has taken up residence in them. During the Open Monument Days, a special route was designed along all these catering establishments. By walking a route map with extra information along your favorite catering addresses, you suddenly look at the familiar buildings with very different eyes. And at the same time you can enjoy a snack or a drink.
Two other pocket walks fall nicely within the theme of sustainability. 'There is a walk along various gable stones in the city center. From the municipal storage and from demolished buildings around 1970, many gable stones were reinstated. Reuse and conservation is of course also a form of sustainability. Be sure to walk along the new Art Church where the new facade, designed by Studio Job, was unveiled on the eve (September 9). The third walk takes in the bridge keepers' houses, which have all been given their own unique purpose.
Scavenger Hunt Bingo!
Families have also been thought of with a fun bingo card for the kids. With this they can search for, for example, stepped gables, gable stones and door knockers. When all the images have been found and ticked off, a nice gift is waiting for them at the VVV. You can pick up the Bingo Quest at the VVV from now on . So before you go into the historic city centre, pay a visit to the VVV. The handy map and pocket walks are also available here. So you can take them all with you in one go. During the Open Monument Days it is also available from the Grote Kerk, Augustijnenkerk and Café Buddingh (corner of Central Station), or print it out yourself via the download.
Musical Monuments
The experience will be complete with pleasant live music at various monuments such as the Dordrecht Museum, in front of the Rutte building and the City Hall. Special this year is the opening of the Thuredrith auditorium at the Essenhof cemetery. 'Four mini-concerts will be held in this beautiful monumental building on Sunday by Dordrecht musician Karin Dolman and viola player Santiago Velo.' Karin Dolman is a teacher at Codarts, Rotterdam University for the Arts and Santiago Velo graduated last June for his master's degree with a 10 cum laude. 'Definitely worth a trip out of the inner city to visit this beautiful building and can't-miss musicians.'
Go out and investigate
Are you curious to know what stories and splendors lie behind the beautiful historic buildings in Dordrecht? Then keep 10 or 11 September free in your agenda and go exploring in the city. All participants will lay out a blue carpet, so that you can immediately see where visitors are welcome. If you want to plan the route a bit more, go to monumentsindordrecht.nl. Will we see you this weekend in the historic center of Dordrecht? Until then!
