Tromp's Huys: the oldest house on the island (1575)

1575

At Dorpsstraat 99 in Oost-Vlieland stands the oldest house on the island. Its year of construction, 1575, coincides with the year in which, according to tradition, Oost-Vlieland was burnt down by Spanish troops — a story that was long merely tradition, until excavations in 2023 yielded sixteenth-century Spanish silver coins and a lead seal from the soil.

The house that was built afterwards is still standing today. On an island where the sea has swept away villages, that is no small thing.

Where the name comes from

The name refers to the seventeenth-century Tromp family of admirals. Vlieland lay along the Vlie, the shipping route to Amsterdam, and the admiralty had an interest in it. Over the centuries, the building has served as a dwelling, an admiralty residence, and a warehouse.

The painter

In the twentieth century, the Norwegian artist Betzy Akersloot-Berg (1850–1922), originally from Norway and specialised in seascapes, lived and worked in the house. She bought the property, renovated it, and bequeathed her work and collection to the island. Tromp's Huys has been a museum since 1956.

What there is to see

The collection centres on the island and the sea: paintings by Akersloot-Berg, seascapes, prints, maps, and objects from island history. The museum is small, and that is its strength — you walk through a home, not an exhibition hall. The low doorways, the beams, and the window sills tell just as much as what hangs on the walls.

The building is a listed heritage site (rijksmonument number 37544) and has been owned since 2001 by Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser, which preserves historic houses in the Netherlands.

Practical information

Tromp's Huys sits in the middle of Dorpsstraat and can be combined with a walk past the other historic buildings along the street. Opening hours, exhibitions, and admission prices are available on the museum's website.