For a month and a half, the future of the Drukkerijmuseum in Meppel was uncertain. But today the doors were opened to the public again. Group five of the nearby primary school gets the honor of being the first to go back inside. They can appreciate the reopening, according to the reactions: “I really enjoy being here. There are many activities”, says an enthusiastic student. “I’ve never been here and I don’t want it to close,” says her classmate.
“And I’m glad that the museum is open again in the same place where it once started,” adds board member Co Nagelkerke of the Drukkerijmuseum.
The forty-year-old museum, full of historic printing machines, is housed in a monumental building in the center of Meppel. In order to cope with the increased costs, an extra 35,000 euros had to be added. When both the municipality of Meppel and the province refused to contribute, a closure seemed imminent. “The courage sank into our shoes”, Nagelkerke looks back.
After discussions with the municipality of Meppel and the province, the board sees perspective again. That is also because the Meppel entrepreneurs took the museum to heart. “The catering industry and other entrepreneurs have set up sponsor campaigns. Guarantees have also been issued for around 20,000 euros,” says Nagelkerke. “With that guarantee, we can at least get through the first year.”
With the summer holidays just around the corner, Van Ittersum expects many visitors to visit the museum. In September, an independent research agency, which has a great deal of experience in researching museums, will start mapping out the (financial) situation of the museum. “We are doing well, there are only problems in the financial field. If, thanks to that research, we gain insight into attracting more visitors and tapping into other subsidy flows, we will be future-proof again.”
This seems to have put an end to the impasse that had arisen around the museum for the time being. From next week, the museum will be open again from Tuesday to Friday between 13:00 and 17:00.