PolderMAS

Small museum in Ouden Doel on the history of the polders along the Lower Scheldt, with archaeological finds and fossils; open on Sunday afternoons.

Opening hoursFree admission

Directions

About the museum

PolderMAS is a small museum in the hamlet of Ouden Doel, on the left bank of the Scheldt, close to the Dutch border. It is a voluntary civic initiative by a family around an archaeologist, who exhibits his own collection. The name is a wink to the Poldermuseum in Lillo-Fort and to the MAS in Antwerp. The museum is housed in a former village café in the hamlet and aims to preserve the history of the polders along the Lower Scheldt, in a landscape under pressure from port expansion.

The collection consists of archaeological finds gathered at low tide along the banks of the Scheldt, a collection of fossils and an extensive collection of clay pipes. There are also etchings, old maps, paintings and photographs on display. Agricultural tools and other equipment from polder life are kept in the stables of De Reinaerthoeve, the organisation behind the museum.

PolderMAS calls itself a curiosity cabinet and a museum in motion: the collection is still growing, there is attention for contemporary art, and there are lectures, photo presentations and musical performances. Outside the museum, the organisation works for the heritage landscape, for example by replanting a row of pollarded willows, placing a stork nest and restoring the Kapellekenspad.

Highlights

Archaeological finds from the banks of the Scheldt at low tide
Fossils and an extensive collection of clay pipes
Etchings, old maps, paintings and photographs of the polders
Agricultural tools and polder items in the stables of De Reinaerthoeve
Guided tour with explanations of the pieces

Permanent exhibition

Collectie PolderMAS – Display cases and cupboards with archaeological finds, fossils, clay pipes, etchings, old maps, paintings and photographs on the history of the polders along the Lower Scheldt.

Operated by: De Reinaerthoeve