On his third attempt in 1596 his ship was trapped by the ice near the north Russian island of Novaya Zemlya. To survive the winter, the crew built a shelter there called Het Behouden Huys (‘The Saved House’). When spring arrived they sailed back to the inhabited world in two patched-up boats. The expedition became famous when, following his return, crewmember Gerrit de Veer published his travel journal. The remains and contents of Het Behouden Huys were discovered centuries later, and are now kept at the Rijksmuseum. This collection of everyday objects serves as a time capsule from the period around 1600.
Getting started with the collection: