The Middle Ages in fragments
Ammersoyen Castle, Ammerzoden (NL), 2024
Visitors to Ammersoyen Castle can follow an adventure trail to discover ancient shards that come together to form a realistic picture of the late Middle Ages.
Photos: Levin den boer
Shards
How could the castles of Gelders Landschap & Kastelen (GLK) differentiate themselves from each other? And what makes Ammersoyen Castle, in particular, unique? When GLK came to us, these were the central questions. In a pressure cooker session, a concept emerged: “the Middle Ages in bits”. Ammersoyen Castle is special because many of its original medieval elements have been preserved. These include an impressive collection of shards found in the moat. The fact that the found objects consist of shards gives the concept an extra layer: our knowledge of the Middle Ages is fragmentary as well. Using the bits of information that remain, we’ve put together a picture of the era. But were dungeons really dark, squalid and filled with poor wretches? Were damsels actually locked up helpless in towers? Researchers continue to uncover new knowledge which is calling into question what we thought we knew about the Middle Ages.
Choose your own adventure
We used the “in bits” concept to transform a visit to the castle into a voyage of discovery. First, visitors view an impressive introductory film projected around a scale model of the castle. Then they choose their own path to explore the mysterious halls and doorways. Whichever adventure trail they take, they encounter shards from the collection in unexpected ways. For example, the route focusing on medieval women begins with a fragment of a Virgin Mary statue and moves on to a stereotypical image of a woman embroidering before finally revealing that many women earned and managed their own money. Again and again, we see how looking carefully at historical fragments enables us to piece together a new, more realistic picture of the Middle Ages.
“We not only want to show visitors the well-known images but also to illuminate the less well-known aspects of the era, such as the role of women in the Middle Ages, the use of colours on the walls, and the punishment of prisoners.” – Annette Zeelenberg, castle manager, Bommelewaardgids
Castle manager Annette Zeelenberg, Bommelewaardgids – 21 March 2024
For kids
Hands-on interactives and “secrets” have been added to the adventure trails to engage younger visitors (aged 7 to 12). They can put together medieval “puzzle pieces” in the shard lab and try to guess the ingredients in beer by smell. And at the “secrets” posts, a knight character shares interesting titbits about the smallest and most unobtrusive places in the castle. For instance, the window ledge : did the people who lived in the castle just go there to daydream? The secrets and interactive elements feature in all four routes. Not necessarily it turns out: it was primarily a useful seat for reading a letter or doing handwork. Daylight was well utilized, as it could be quite dark inside.
Shard lab
Finally, a special wandering route leads to the 'shard lab'. Here, young and old can puzzle together with original shards from the shard collection. They can also play with magnets on a magnetic wall. Whichever adventure trail visitors take, they’ll always encounter shards from the collection in unexpected ways.
Credits
Client
Gelders Landschap & KastelenContent design, scriptwriting and copy editing
Studio LouterSpatial design
Even MoreGraphic design
Type 3Audio
KlevR SounddesignMedia production (introductory film)
MotokoConstruction
FlinkLighting design
Studio FlekMural
Marius Erfgoed