The Van Gogh House will open its doors this summer after all. The museum in Nieuw-Amsterdam/Veenoord suffered a setback earlier this year. It would keep its doors closed all summer as renovations were delayed. Now there is one more stroke of luck. From next weekend, the Van Gogh house can be visited every Saturday and Sunday.
According to the organization, this is a limited opening, because the renovation that started earlier this year is not yet finished. “The real opening is not until the end of September or the beginning of October,” says chairman of the board Heily Stoel-Snater.
This year it is 140 years ago that the famous artist visited Southeast Drenthe. In the autumn of 1883 he stayed for several months in the former lodging house Scholtens. Today it is the Van Gogh House.
The story of this period in the artist’s life has been told in this place for twenty years. In the new set-up, visitors step into his story through technical and audiovisual applications. For this, the building is going through a major overhaul, the goal was to be able to open again in June. Two months ago it became clear that this would not be achieved: the deadline was pushed back to the autumn.
Since then, the Van Gogh House has received signals from the public, the municipality of Emmen and the Province of Drenthe: “Many people let us know that they were very sorry that there was nothing to do here all summer,” says Stoel. It would be nice if there were something to do in the Van Gogh Year 2023. “We have taken up that challenge,” says the chairman. “Although it will still be a mess inside every now and then, our volunteers certainly see an opportunity to offer visitors a pleasant and interesting hour.”
Moreover, the room where Vincent worked and slept can be visited. This is intact and nothing will change there, says Stoel.