The old post office of Emmen, the cantonal court next to it and a former bridge in New Amsterdam. They are new showpieces in the collection of Emmenaar Jan Haak.
“Look, this is actually all I use: plywood, glue and a scroll saw. Much to the annoyance of my downstairs neighbors,” he says, grinning.
Haak is sawing, gluing and painting all year round. And so he makes all kinds of miniature houses. It is already the fourth time he has exhibited them. “I’m actually not happy with it,” says Haak. “I ordered all kinds of nice trees to decorate the place nicely, but they have still not been delivered.”
Fortunately, there are other, new showpieces. “So this is the old post office of Emmen. They wanted to demolish it, but I thought that was a shame. Because that is the heart of the center. And of course the cantonal court, I also made that.” He proudly holds up the wooden building.
Haak has certainly not been idle over the past year. Even the church sexton put him to work. “I already had that church last year, but then the sexton came by to take a look and said that I had not made the outbuildings. So I just made those too.”
Next to the renovated church is the interior of the church. “This is not what the church looks like from the inside, but it is the interior of a church. With the pulpit, the baptismal font and the benches where people sit.”
He proudly points out everything. But he still wants to hang up his scroll saw. “You know what it is, I’m almost 94. And if I accidentally… oet the tie Come on, my family will be bothered. And where should they go with it?”
But actually Haak isn’t done yet. “I still have to see that I get photos of the front and side of the Van Gogh house in New Amsterdam. I actually want to take those too.” And so his neighbors will be bothered by the sawing for a while.
“You know what it is, it has a hold on me. When I get out of bed in the morning and I see it, I’m already going before I’ve even had breakfast.”