A window on the city's history Museum De Roos: a time travel in the heart of Geertruidenberg

As soon as I walk onto the Markt, the building catches my eye. On the facade, the flag of De Langstraat flies bravely in the wind: the Tourist Information Point can also be found here.

Ron and I meet at the entrance to the building, which is also the Tourist Information Point (TIP). I walk behind Ron through the museum and up the stairs. We sit down in the boardroom; he makes coffee. First things first. Meanwhile we chat about the special building we are in and the museum that tells so many stories about the city that you can easily spend an entire afternoon in it.

Ron has been chairman of the museum for two years. Before that he was on the board, so he has been involved for a long time. At the time, he noticed that Museum De Roos had lost some of its momentum. The permanent exhibition remained the same for a long time and the museum as a whole could use a breath of fresh air. Ron was appointed chairman and was allowed to go wild with his ideas. And that paid off.

He began by rearranging the building. This huge project has recently been completed and the museum looks like it should pass through a ring. In the process, he ensured that the permanent exhibition was placed in chronological order and expanded the museum exhibits with accompanying texts.

Ron says: "There used to be far fewer stories to read in the museum. That was a shame because there is so much to tell about the history of Geertruidenberg and the museum exhibits. For example, you could admire several cannonballs here in the past, but they were all in a pile without any explanation. I found out that there were three different types on that pile, all from a different time and with a completely different story. I thought that was a shame; those stories deserve their own stage. That is why these items now have their own place in the museum, in chronological order, with an accompanying story card."

The permanent exhibition is also enormously extensive. Thanks to the rich history of the municipality of Geertruidenberg, many objects are fished out of the ground here with enormous historical value. In the Zoutmanstraat, for example, where the soil is now being excavated for the construction of a new apartment complex, resulting in the discovery of all kinds of medieval objects and even pieces of city walls. Most of it is collected in a large depot where Ron regularly goes to take a look. It's quite a process, picking out objects. And it involves a lot of archaeological knowledge. Just recognize a button or potsherd from a few centuries ago.

Ron laughs: "Sometimes we don't immediately see how special something is. For example, in the temporary exhibition there is a piece of chain from the drawbridge of the castle that once stood in Geertruidenberg. That had almost gone to scrap metal! In fact, when it came out of the ground it looked like crap. Still, we decided to have it cleaned. Thank goodness for that! It is one of the most extraordinary finds of late!"

Every six months the museum shows a different exhibition, so a visit keeps surprising. In the winter months the exhibition is always about a subject from the municipality of Geertruidenberg and in the summer months it is very diverse.

It is time for a tour of the museum. Ron enthusiastically takes me through the rooms full of showcases, models and other museum pieces. Everywhere you can read stories about the eventful history of the municipality of Geertruidenberg.

We start in Frankish times, around the year 800, when Geertruidenberg already appeared in history. Even then it was called "Baurg," referring to the large hill on which the city was built. This hill was part of a row of dunes, because Geertruidenberg, or 'Baurg', was then on the coast!

"This is why it wasn't very suitable for habitation here at first," Ron explains. "That's why you won't find much here from Roman times, for example. However, we have always been a thoroughfare to the rest of De Langstraat and Holland, so some remains have been found."

We have now reached the Middle Ages. It's quite something, this journey through time. "The Middle Ages were really the heyday here," Ron begins his story. "Especially the cattle trade provided mountains of income. This is because of the grass from the area, which is very rich and nutritious. You can still see traces of this flourishing cattle trade here, just think of the Koestraat."

Because of this wealth, quite a few big names have walked around here. "There have been a lot of counts and countesses in the city. In 1269 Floris V, Count of Holland, even married Beatrice of Flanders here!"

Besides Baurg, Geertruidenberg has had more names. In the Middle Ages, for example, it became "Mons Sanctae Gertrudis," or the mountain of Saint Gertrudis. So who was this Gertrudis that the entire city was named after her? According to legend, she was an exalted one who came here to preach Christianity and also chased away the rats. Something that was given great thanks at the time. Only much later, in 1200 she was venerated and canonized.

Ron knows so much about history that I ask him if he might have a background as a historian. He has to laugh. No, he doesn't. However, his hobby is to study history, especially military history.

"When I became chairman, they were still afraid I would turn it into a real war museum," he chuckles. "But that didn't happen! I did highlight the knight's tournaments nicely in the basement. This happened a lot here, as Geertruidenberg was enormously central to Flanders and Holland."

We have arrived at the rear and find ourselves in the year 1420. The enormous castle that once stood in Geertruidenberg was destroyed.

Ron points to the model: "A huge castle like this naturally requires a lot of bricks. After the castle was shot to pieces by cannonballs, the inhabitants of Geertruidenberg decided to demolish the building. But the bricks were recycled. After 150 years, the castle was completely gone and all the bricks had been used to build houses in the town. Funny, isn't it? So actually you are still walking through the old castle here, so to speak."

It was not easy for the people of Geertruidenberg. One year after the destruction of the castle, the Elisabeth flood took place and Geertruidenberg was cut off from Holland. Where the passage used to be, you now find the Biesbosch. The land trade stopped abruptly and things went downhill very quickly with the city.

And what happened then? Well, plenty! From the 80-year War to the construction of the Zuiderwaterlinie and the emergence of the fortified town to the World Wars. But you can discover all that for yourself in Museum De Roos.

I ask Ron if children visit the museum. He answers: "We offer a special education program with tours where the children hear the stories from the museum in an entertaining way. They can also reconstruct potsherds like a real archaeologist and test their writing skills with a quill. Kids who visit the museum can take part in a scavenger hunt that takes them on an adventure through time. Plenty of entertainment!"

Ron and I walk slowly back to the entrance where you'll find the Tourist Information Point. It's a cozy welcome. Here you can get all kinds of information about the best places and activities in the region. It's easy to pick up a leaflet, route booklet or flyer or pick up a nice souvenir from De Langstraat. The staff at the counter will help you with great enthusiasm to get everything out of your visit to Geertruidenberg and surroundings.

I thank Ron for the interesting visit. With the impressive stories from the museum still fresh in my mind, I get into the car. To everyone reading this, I can only recommend: go and experience it for yourself at Museum De Roos.