The former Kneepkens department store in Heerlen was completed on Saturday. In the spring, the building will serve as the new home of the Dutch Mining Museum.
The building has been gutted in recent months and then renovated.
24 years of vacancy
The department store was built in 1939 and has the status of a national monument. For years the building served as a Kneepkens shop. The striking building has stood empty for the past 24 years. “In the past, the people who worked in the mines went here to buy their clothes,” says alderman Jordy Clemens. “It is very special that the story of the mines and miners at this location will now be told.”
Renovated
The authentic columns have been preserved during the renovation. “It will not be a museum in the traditional sense,” says Eke Zijlstra of the Dutch Mining Museum. “The building remains a former department store. We only put an exhibition in the building, which in principle can also be removed or adjusted at some point.”
Four million euros
The project will cost about four million euros in total. The building consists of four floors and each floor has a different atmosphere. The spaces are currently empty, but that should change soon. In eight weeks, the Dutch Mining Museum wants to open its doors to visitors.
Exciting
The official opening will take place on April 23. Visitors are welcome from 1 May. “A lot still needs to be done before it’s finished. We don’t have very many weeks left, so it will be exciting, but I am confident that it will be finished on time,” said Zijlstra.