Visit to NDSM Revives Foundation on Wednesday 29 November 2023

From the moment the Dutch started sailing the world's seas, shipbuilding became an important industry. Numerous VOC ships were built on Amsterdam's Eastern Islands at the time. Later, the first steamships were also launched there, and the Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij was founded in 1894. The shipyard ran out of space in the early 20th century to meet the demand for increasingly larger ships. In 1919, it was decided to build a completely new shipyard in Amsterdam Noord. Within twenty years, it grew into (one of) the largest in Europe. After the war, only a mess remained. To rebuild quickly, a joint venture was set up with the neighbouring Nederlandsche Dok Maatschappij: the NDSM. Under that flag, many ships walked off the slipways.

However, the competition with low-wage countries could only be sustained with more and more government subsidies, mergers and reorganisations. In 1984, the curtain fell anyway. Hoping for a new initiative, a group of employees maintained the plant and machinery. The final end came on 25 January 1990 when a severe storm blew over the large gantry crane.

The western part of the site still hosts plenty of ship repair, the last ten years under the Damen banner. The eastern part is home to many (creative) businesses and all kinds of activities/events in some of the old sheds but also in many new buildings. Many apartment complexes have also sprung up on the site in recent years.

The "NDSM Revives Foundation" was established in April 2013 and this group of enthusiasts is committed to preserving and safeguarding the impressive heritage of NDSM and its predecessors. Meanwhile, the foundation manages an impressive collection and aims to set up a museum about shipbuilding in Amsterdam. Through tours, presentations, lectures and exhibitions, they raise awareness of their goal.

The Foundation is organising a presentation and tour of the museum for members of Histechnica and KIVI History on Wednesday 29 November next from 11am.

If you are interested in this please send an e-mail to Gert Jan Luijendijk: g.j.luijendijk@xs4all.nl

The estimated cost per person is €40.00 (admission, coffee/tea with a cake, lecture, lunch in the IJkantine and tour).

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