He is a carpenter by profession, Willem Rietman (66) from Tynaarlo. But not only machines and wood are stored in his workshop. Willem also keeps a large part of his electric heater collection there. “I have more than five hundred. That’s nothing, considering I’ve been collecting them for fifty years.”
As a seventeen-year-old boy, Willem was already fascinated by electronics. He collected everything that was loose and stuck. At a certain point this got out of control, so Willem decided to focus solely on electric heaters. “After the light bulb, the electric heater is the first electrical appliance to appear in households,” says Willem.
“I find the technology interesting, but I am especially fascinated by the design. There are so many types of radiant heaters. Made of tin, steel, glass, porcelain, cast iron, steel and copper. And they come in all kinds of shapes and designs. You can’t imagine anything so crazy.”
Watch the video below to see Willem’s collection:
