Haarlem is a city with a rich past. City archaeologist Anja van Zalinge excavates all kinds of objects to see how people used to live here. As a result, she regularly encounters special finds. Presenter Koen Bugter invited her to the Haarlemmerhout to ask her about the soul of the Haarlem region.
The cesspool opens: “This is a turd from a fifteenth-century Haarlemmer” – NH Nieuws
When you think of historical excavations, you probably mainly think of clay pots and wooden tools. Such objects are indeed excavated in Haarlem, but the city archaeologist also encounters things in the ground that are well hidden for a reason.
In addition to prehistoric farms, cesspools have also been excavated just behind the provincial house. “‘The cesspool will open’, that is of course the proverb. I dug them up and I can tell you: when it opens, it really stinks,” says Van Zalinge enthusiastically.
Old-fashioned clicker
She explains that a cesspool can actually be compared to the modern wheelie bin. “You throw in everything you want to get rid of: poo, pee and waste.” Presenter Koen Bugter already feels the mood. “You’re not going to tell me you have a turd in your pocket, are you?”
Laughing, she pulls a bag out of her jacket. “So this is a 15th century human turd.” Van Zalinge explains that the cesspools in Haarlem were used from the thirteenth century until about 1900. In Haarlem, sewage systems were only installed from the nineteenth century.
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“I can’t smell anything anymore”, Bugter carefully opens the bag. “That’s right, he is petrified,” explains Van Zalinge. Bugter takes an item from the bag, which does indeed look like a gray stone. “So this is a turd from a Haarlemmer from the fifteenth century. Quite a crazy idea, maybe in five hundred years someone will be standing with my turd in their hands”, the presenter fantasizes.
Summer Tour: Soul of the Region
This story is part of the NH Nieuws ‘Summer tour: soul of the region’. In this series of ten episodes, presenter Koen Bugter visits the various regions in North Holland. Together with regional reporters from NH Nieuws and various guests, he goes in search of the soul of the region.
Today Koen Bugter settles down in Haarlem. Watch the broadcast via this link.
Van Zalinge also brought another object that is typical of Haarlem. A small glass bottle emerges from her other coat pocket. “Haarlemmer oil. And on the bottle is also the name of the maker: Claes De Koning Tilly.”
The eighteenth-century paracetamol
Bugter wonders what makes Haarlemmerolie so famous. “This remedy seemed to help against everything. Sailors, merchants, everyone bought it here and took it with them. That’s how it came all over the world. You can drink it for internal problems, but also rub it on. And sailors took it mainly because it well helped against the cold.”
The oil is still for sale. Van Zalinge does not know whether it is really the miracle cure that has been claimed for so long. Emptying the small bottle in one gulp is in any case not recommended: “Then you’ll be in the cesspool for a few days.”
This is also in the broadcast:
- Presenter Koen Bugter asks visitors of Park Sessions about the soul of Haarlem;
- An excerpt from the archive of Sound and Vision about the ‘cone competition’;
- Regional reporter Michael van der Putten talks about his work and shares his vision of the soul of Haarlem;
- A report about vegan restaurant Mama Gaia;
- A report about the search for the Haarlem rose man;
- The nature of Haarlem near the Veerplas;
- An interview with Jan Lammers about the Grand Prix of Zandvoort and his own career as a racing driver;
- An excerpt from the archive of Sound and Vision of a demonstration by the rescue brigade in Zandvoort;
- And singer Wendy Moore sings her latest song ‘that’s not you.