Museum De Grutterswinkel

About the museum

The house at Nieuwesteeg 5 was built in 1596 as the stately residence of a mayor in the middle of Leeuwarden. Later a coppersmith, among others, worked here, until the building passed to the Feenstra family in 1901. They ran a wholesale business for colonial goods and groceries there.

Over time the wholesale business became an ordinary general store, which the Feenstra sisters ran until 1973. When the till rang for the last time, the shop and its fittings were in danger of being lost. That both were preserved is thanks to a large number of volunteers, who still keep the museum going today.

Whoever opens the shop door stands among shelves full of storage tins and products of yesteryear, from stove polish to pulses; sweets, drops and biscuits are still sold. In the former living quarters you can have coffee, tea and orange cake, and beneath them lies a barrel-vaulted wine cellar more than four hundred years old. On the upper floor an exhibition shows the history of the colonial goods trade, and in the rear house you can experience how a small family lived back then, complete with box bed and outhouse (húske).

Highlights

• Perfectly preserved colonial goods shop with an old till and sweets to buy
• Coffee room in the former living quarters with orange cake and Fryske Dúmkes
• Wine cellar over 400 years old with a barrel vault
• Rear house with box bed and húske
• Townhouse from 1596 in the historic centre

Permanent exhibition

• Geschichte des Kolonialwarenhandels – The exhibition on the upper floor tells the history of the colonial goods and grocery trade and of the house.

Admission & discounts

The shop, the coffee room and the ground floor including the temporary exhibition are free; admission is charged only for the exhibition on the upper floor. Friends of the museum have free admission. The Nationale Museumkaart is not valid here, but the Museumpas Fryslân is. On Open Monumentendag (2026: 12 September) admission is free. Payment in cash or by debit card (PIN).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• 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: no information

Largely not wheelchair-accessible because of many steps, thresholds and narrow passages; no lift, no accessible toilet. The museum takes part in “Iepen Húske”: during opening hours anyone may use the toilet. Dogs are welcome on a lead.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Tailor-made school programmes and children’s birthday parties. Birthday parties for children aged 5 to 10 with old Dutch games, weighing out sweets, dressing up as “Ot en Sien” and a tour; maximum 12 children with at least two adults, price by arrangement.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the historic centre on Nieuwesteeg.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Coffee room with coffee, tea, orange cake and Fryske Dúmkes; sweets and biscuits are sold in the shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 20 guests.

Meetings for up to 20 people in the tasting room; prices on request. For groups of 8 or more there is a Frisian coffee table at €17.50 per person.

Plan your visit