Exhibition: Meidenmarkt in Bunschoten

Love, seduction and tradition: Museum Spakenburg delves into the world of the Girls’ Market
How did people find love in a fishing village on the Zuiderzee in days gone by? What was allowed — and, above all, what was strictly forbidden? And how did an evening’s stroll develop into a centuries-old tradition that is still talked about today?
Museum Spakenburg takes you (back) to the ‘meidenmarkt’: the very place where young people met, fell in love and sometimes even found their future spouse. The new exhibition *De Meidenmarkt* tells the story of love, courtship and marriage in Bunschoten-Spakenburg — a world full of unwritten rules, excitement, humour and unique rituals.

The exhibition shows just how deeply these and other traditions were rooted in the daily life of the former fishing village. Visitors can discover historical photographs from the collection of the Bunscote Historical Society, original wedding gifts, impressive wedding attire from the Spakenburg traditional costume, and a striking Surinamese-Spakenburg ‘koto’. This gives the exhibition not only a historical character, but also a surprisingly contemporary and culturally innovative one.

For the exhibition, Eemland 1, in collaboration with interviewees and Year 5 HAVO pupils from Oostwende College, produced a wonderful documentary that shines a spotlight on the Girls’ Market. Excerpts from the documentary are included in the exhibition. The full recording can be viewed on the website of regional broadcaster Eemland 1.