Visit to Bronbeek
reading time approx 2.5 min

Together with two dear friends who I met during my tour of the Moluccas, I visited Museum Bronbeek in Arnhem.
After a long closure period, Bronbeek is open again to visitors. The beautiful historic building not only houses a museum but also a home for veterans of all parts of the Dutch armed forces, as stated on the map of the museum. The full (translated) name is: Royal Home for Former Military Personnel and Museum Bronbeek. According to the flyer, the exhibition 'tells the story of the rise and fall of a colony'. A compelling story.
The museum has been modernized and beautifully decorated with moving sound and images, which are a nice addition to the more static arrangements of the items in the display cases. It is quite dark in the various rooms, which creates an intimate atmosphere. I like this very much, it makes the exhibition cabinets stand out beautifully, but not obtrusively. The projected photos that cover entire walls are also impressive, but they are also not obtrusive in the foreground. If you want to take in everything the museum has to offer, one afternoon is not enough.
For a book lover like me, Bronbeek has much more to offer than just the exhibition. Immediately upon entering, my attention is drawn by Café Batavia and the museum shop where the cabinets filled with books are arranged around the coffee tables. Beautifully presented new books, recent titles but also older ones and a large bookcase with second-hand books. I had to contain myself because if I plonge in there my two friends will lose me for the rest of the afternoon and I won't even get to the museum. But in the short time I allowed myself I found a book in that second-hand bookcase by Yusuf B. Mangunwijaja, a contemporary Indonesian writer, of whom I already have a few books on the shelf at home. I bought that book. Of course.
Another reason why I almost couldn't get away from those coffee tables was that after handing out my business card I immediately got to talk with some people and once again I was amazed by the wonderful stories people have to tell. I really hope that those storytellers will cross their threshold and post their story on my website.
But perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was the library. Thousands of books about the Indies/Indonesia. Simply breathtaking! The books are not lent out, but you can sit there all day and scrutinize every book. I will definitely do that one day and more than once, I already know.