Projects

Middelburg, October 1, 1761. Captain Jan Menkeveld raises the anchors of De Eenigheid, a ship of the Middelburg Commercial Company (MCC). The 36 crew members are about to embark on their triangular journey: from the North Sea via the West African coast to colonies in the Caribbean and the Americas (West Indies).

When the wind from the east finally takes them from the Oosterschelde to the North Sea, cheers erupt. Off to Africa, where trade goods – including textiles, guns, gunpowder, drinks, and knives – are exchanged for ivory, gold, and enslaved Africans. The captain aims to engage in trade as early as possible because the farther south the trading spots, the more expensive the people.

Ultimately, with 319 Africans and 33 crew members, the ship sets course westward. Here, 299 enslaved individuals are sold to work on one of the many plantations, such as in Suriname, Berbice, and Essequibo. Loaded with goods from Africa and the colonies, De Eenigheid departs on December 19, 1762. Back to Middelburg...

Paris, October 4, 1883. The Orient Express is officially inaugurated. At 7:30 p.m., the steam train departs from the Parisian platform Gare de Strasbourg for a 76-hour journey to the Bulgarian port city of Varna. On board are distinguished guests, journalists, and Belgian engineer Georges Nagelmackers.

Oosterhout, February 12, 1956. In the Brabant city of Oosterhout (Easterwood del Carnavallo), under the leadership of Prince Mienus 1 and his Council of Eleven, the first public carnival kicks off. The residents have, among others, Leo Wellens to thank for this, as the founder of the Oosterhout Carnival Foundation, the Smulnarren, received the green light to celebrate the beginning of Lent in a festive manner. On the streets this time.

Poland, October 1543. The Catholic clergyman Nicolaus Copernicus publishes the book "On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres." In it, he proposes that the Earth is not the center of the universe, but rather the planets revolve around the sun...

Scheveningen, January 21, 1942. It is dark outside. The door of cell 577 in the Scheveningen prison opens, and Titus Brandsma is ushered in by the German police. The professor and priest had been urging Catholic newspaper editors to resist the publication of NSB (Dutch Nazi Party) advertisements. The sound of the cell door slamming shut echoes for seconds. In this "room" of the "Oranjehotel," as the prison is nicknamed, darkness descends.