Private museum of a manufacturer

28 June 2020

Private museum of a manufacturer

Still in Germany, today a visit to collector and pipe manufacturer Anton Manger in Wollbach. In the front part of his former pipe factory, this true pipe enthusiast has set up a museum, which has become a bit messed up due to the vast numbers, but is certainly astonishing . The focus is on Ulmer Kloben and other pipes from that region in addition to porcelain pipes, especially from Ruhla. We were pleased that, contrary to previous visits, Manger was now willing to part with some of the pieces from his long cherished collection. After negotiations we left with some thirty characteristic pipes in wood, porcelain and other materials. An unexpected souvenir of an impressive visit.

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Guest in Ulm

22 June 2020

Guest in Ulm

Talking about German pipes and about quality, the city of Ulm comes to mind. Today we were there to get to know the city and visit the museum. Little remains of the important impulse that radiated from this city in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Besides a single pipe in the city museum, nothing reminds of this remarkable industry. The highlight of the day was the evening program, a visit to the collector and pipe lover Günther Merath. As a descendant of an Ulmer family, at a young age he took up an interest in the Ulmer pipe and has been collecting ever since. This is clearly visible in his fascinating collection. What we looked for in the museum in vain is in the cabinets of this passionate collector!

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45 years of open museum

18 June 2020

45 years of open museum

Today it is forty-five years ago that our museum opened. Back then under the name Pijpenkamer Icon in the back of the gallery of the same name. On a much smaller scale than now in its own canal house, with the attention then still fully focused on the history of the clay pipe. It is an anniversary within an anniversary, which seems to characterize this year. After all, the collection has existed for 50 years, now 45 years as a public museum and also located on the Prinsengracht for another 25 years. Most surprising: because of Corona, 45 years after date, we have fewer visitors than then! Things can be strange in the world.

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Last photo week

16 June 2020

Last photo week

After the last tricky photos of some objects of odd size, we put the photography stuff away to get started with other work. The result is again astonishing: just over 5,000 unique photos made during four months. In the next few weeks, the last photos will be uploaded into the database and will then be available on the web worldwide. That will take a while because checking that everything is in place and has been accurately described always turns out to be a time-consuming task. In the end, it’s great to see the final results.

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Mini anniversary

9 June 2020

Mini anniversary

While we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the collection this year, we reached another milestone today. This very day it is exactly 25 years ago that we received the key to the house on the Prinsengracht. The museum has now been located at the same spot for half of its existence! Looking back, moving to Amsterdam has been a good choice, which provided a tremendous boost to the expansion of the collection and the public reach. What the situation will look like in another 25 years is hard to foresee. Of course it would be great if we could realize a broader exhibition using the potential of our collection, which is still gaining in completeness. That would present our story in a more versatile way. The future will tell.

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Newspaper item

3 June 2020

Newspaper item

Today Dylan van Eijkeren of the column Aldus in Het Parool wrote about us again. In the article, the newspaper readers are called on to vote for Don Duco in the public choice award associated with the Europa Nostra Award. The interview with Duco elaborates on the museum, its origins and the corona closure that has just ended. A photo completes the article.

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Reopening museum

1 June 2020

Reopening museum

Today the end of the lock-down has been announced and the museum is officially open for visits again. Nevertheless, spontaneous visits are no longer possible due to the extra rules, everyone must reserve a visiting time. With our museum with a limited floor space, this is certainly necessary because only three visitors or groups of visitors are allowed to look around at the same time. The Museum Association has drawn up an extensive protocol for all museums. We are curious how things will go, for the time being we are waiting how the situation develops. Anyone who likes to visit is more than welcome to book a time by email or by phone, even shortly in advance. Presently we do not expect serious streams of visitors, because tourism in Amsterdam has largely disappeared. So do not hesitate to make an appointment to come by and smell the scent of drying paint!

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