The Nassaus of Breda: Castle, Town and Country
Stedelijk Museum Breda, Breda (NL), 2023
In a story that unfolds over three centuries, royal figures rule over town and country. Visitors to the Stedelijk Museum Breda can discover the extent of the Nassau family’s historical influence in the region.
The House of Nassau
Between 1400 and 1700 – a period marked by religious riots and the Eighty Years’ War – Breda was the home city of the Nassau family. On the one hand, their presence brought prosperity to the city and allowed culture and religion to flourish in the region. But it also meant Breda got caught up in the political disputes of the time. The Nassaus’ era was an eventful one, full of stories of dignified courtly life, pious churchgoers and bloody sieges.
A story in three stages
Our design challenge lay in constructing a clear story structure to help visitors understand a lenghty period encompassing major social changes and peopled with relatively obscure Nassau family members. In a pressure cooker session, we came up with the idea of zooming out in three steps, from the Nassaus’ castle to the town and finally the countryside. The new permanent exhibition is organised according to these three levels. Visitors first witness an intimate moment at the Nassaus’ table and learn how the family lived in Breda Castle. Then they walk the streets of 17th-century Breda and discover the Nassaus’ influence on religious expression and other aspects of city life. The journey ends with a panorama depicting sieges, which shows how the Nassaus fought for the land around Breda. The story ends with the Peace of Münster.
The family trail
Families with children are a primary target audience for the exhibition. We therefore developed an interactive family trail as an integral part of the display. Stories – including those of the castle’s gardener, a member of court, and a foot soldier – come to life through historical objects, paintings, interactive installations and media. Through these stories, young visitors can discover what it was like to live, work and fight in the past. For each story you can collect a stamp featuring a portrait by the illustrator Julie van Zessen. On completion of the trail you’ll have a group portrait of local figures from the past.
Family installations
Alongside the smaller stories, each room contains a large family installation. For instance, the second gallery features a wall-filling projection of Breda as it looked in the past. Visitors can colour in their own figure, scan it, and see it walk across the wall. Each family installation contains in-depth background information to encourage discussion.
“The exhibition (…) is interactive and therefore accessible for parent and child. Beautiful multimedia elements that further enrich the visit.”
Sjoerd van Gurp, Google Reviews – September 2023
Photos: Mike Bink
Credits
Client
Stedelijk Museum BredaContent Design
Studio LouterSpatial Design
OPERA AmsterdamMedia Production
MCW / creative agencyIllustrations
Jose Luis Garcia Lechner & Julie van ZessenConstruction
BrunsTechnology
Atatech