Exhibition of ship models 'Botters'

When you think of Elburg, you think of botters! These old flat-bottomed boats are part of Elburg's cultural heritage and are being restored and preserved for the future by the Botterstichting. There is still a large collection of botters in the port of Elburg. 

In 2024, the Arent thoe Boecop archaeological association will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. To give the anniversary year extra shine, they are exhibiting a special exhibition of ship models in Museum Elburg.

Fishing was an important means of livelihood for the city of Elburg for many years. Around 1950, 40 percent of Elburg's total net income still came from fishing. In the same year, work began on constructing a ring dike around the (later) Oostelijk-Flevoland polder. On July 10, 1956, Elburg was closed off from the open water.

In the last century, several people in Elburg were active in making ship models. Ship carpenter Daan Balk, but also various fishermen made beautiful models of botters, bonzen, pluten, punts and barges in their spare time with simple tools. This has ultimately led to the fact that many dozens of ship models are currently displayed in various living rooms as showpieces.

The room is decorated with ship models from various Elburg ship builders. In addition, Jurrie van der Heide's characteristic fishermen portraits have been given a prominent place in the exhibition, supplemented with paintings relating to Elburg's fishing history and fishing attributes.