Nieuws

Dutch Funerary Museum has opened

Dutch Funerary Museum Tot Zover was opened at the end of December. As a sponsor of the Dutch Funerary Museum Tot Zover, ‘the Royal Facultatieve’ demonstrates the importance it attaches to the retention of cultural heritage. This unique museum - on the grounds of Cemetery De Nieuwe Ooster in Amsterdam (Kruislaan 124) - tells us about how we deal with death on the basis of four themes: Rituals, the Body, Mourning & Remembrance and Memento Mori. The collection provides an overview of the traditions and customs in the fields of death, burial and mourning process in the Netherlands. It features objects relating to the funeral industry, such as the uniform of an undertaker’s man and a flit sprayer, which was used to eradicate unpleasant smells in the death-rooms. In addition to that, it pays attention to modern funeral rituals, for instance those in other cultures.

Of course there is also room for the history of cremation in the Netherlands. After all, the Royal Dutch Cremation Society ‘the Facultatieve’ (established in 1874) played a leading role in that respect. The museum furthermore houses a detailed replica of Crematorium Westerveld, the first crematorium of the Netherlands (built by the Society), which saw its first cremation on 1 April 1914.

For more information and opening times, etc.: www.totzover.nl