It Damshûs

About the museum

The core of the museum is the little house "Dam-Hûske": in 1958 the last stone peat workers' house in Nij Beets was taken down stone by stone with subsidies and a great deal of volunteer work by the villagers, rebuilt on its present site and furnished with donated furniture and tools of the period. The name goes back to the last resident, H. G. Dam.

Five further, even simpler workers' cottages were later added as reconstructions, along with a visitor centre with a film room. In 2000, four landscape scenes were created on the two-hectare site, showing how peat extraction changed the area: marsh, extraction area, peat-pit landscape and polder. In 2003 the wooden village church "Houten Himeltsje" was rebuilt, and in 2006 the peat baron's house, which also served as a shop and pub. There is also a small shipyard, peat sheds and mills; in 2013 the entrance, car park and entrance building were redesigned.

The museum tells of the contrast between the rich landowners and the impoverished peat workers; a film shows the social conditions in the village. The foundation's second site is the Sudergemaal of 1924, one of the first electric pumping stations in Friesland, which can also be reached in the historic peat boat.

Highlights

• Reconstructed peat workers' cottages from the period 1863 to 1920
• Film "armoe-werk-macht-strijd" about the social conditions in Nij Beets
• Peat baron's house with shop and pub, and the wooden church "Houten Himeltsje"
• Four landscape scenes: marsh, extraction area, peat pits and polder
• Sudergemaal of 1924 with a trip in the historic peat boat

Permanent exhibitions

• Torfarbeiterhäuschen und Haus des Torfbarons – Reconstructed cottages, shop and pub show the living and working conditions of the peat diggers between 1863 and 1920.
• Sudergemaal – The pumping station of 1924 shows how the land was drained and made usable after peat extraction.

Operated by

Stichting It Damshûs

Admission & discounts

Prices for the open-air museum; the Sudergemaal costs €2.50 separately (children €1).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: not available

The museum and the Sudergemaal are largely accessible: wide aisles in the entrance building, ramps at the cottages, mostly paved paths, a wheelchair available to borrow; the Sudergemaal has a ramp from the car park and its own accessible toilet. The museum is less suitable for people with visual impairments. Dogs on a lead are allowed on the grounds.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

For schools there are programmes on "Poor and Rich" and water management, a picture book about the hedgehog Styn and loan boxes; children search for the QR codes at the cottages with a smartphone and can play with toys from around 1900.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the Domela Nieuwenhuisweg in Nij Beets; the Sudergemaal (Ripen 3) can also be reached by peat boat from the museum.

Amenities & dining

• Café

Refreshments are served in the peat baron's house (shop and pub); coffee, pastries and lunch can be booked in the museum for groups.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit