Moluccan Islamic camp Wyldemerck wins the Grote Archeologie Prijs 2022

The archaeology project ‘Wyldemerck, searching together for barracks in the woods’, in which former residents of the Moluccan camp actively participate, has won the Dutch Grote Archeologie Prijs. The festive award ceremony took place on 20 October at the Cultural Heritage Agency in Amersfoort. Wyldemerck was nominated alongside 3 other projects and received almost 1,800 of the more than 4,000 votes cast by the public.

Stichting Archeologie & Publiek

This year Stichting Archeologie & Publiek (SAP) awarded the Grote Archeologie Prijs for the fifth time. The Grote Archeologie Prijs is awarded to projects that best respond to the presentation of archaeology and to translating and visualising it for the public. With this prize the foundation wants to encourage initiators to tell the stories of the past and to link them to the present.

The archaeology project ‘Wyldemerck, searching together for barracks in the woods’ is attracting a great deal of attention in archaeological circles in the Netherlands. This is because former residents not only actively participate, but will also formulate their own answer to the question posed by the owner, Staatsbosbeheer, of what to do with this place in the woods near the Frisian village of Balk where the camp once stood.

Museum Maluku is a partner in the project. Since the beginning of this year the museum has acted as host for the gatherings at Museum Sophiahof in The Hague. In the coming months the finds and results will be evaluated, and in January 2023 the participants and former residents will come forward with their answers and proposals.

All the staff and the board of Museum Maluku congratulate everyone involved in the Wyldemerck archaeology project. In particular archaeologists and initiators Marjolijn Kok and Jobbe Wijnen of Moluks Erfgoed and all the former residents and participants. We will see each other again on Saturday 5 November at Museum Sophiahof. Amato.

Huib Akihary Curator