Friesian horse gets its own museum in Leeuwarden

Last week, the Frisian Agricultural Museum in Leeuwarden received the green light from the municipality of Leeuwarden to set up a new exhibition hall under the name ‘The World of the Frisian Horse’: From Farm Horse to Film Star.’ The KFPS supports this initiative with information, knowledge, and €25,000.

100th anniversary in 2025

This plan is part of a larger expansion plan that the museum wants to have realized in 2025, during the celebration of its 100th anniversary. The exhibition revolves around the role that the horse plays in the lives of owners, breeders, fans, farmers, recreation, sports, traditions, theater, and film productions. The aim of this exhibition is to increase the number of annual visitors to 25,000.

Keje fan ‘e Kilewier

The Frisian Agricultural Museum, south of Leeuwarden, already has an eye-catcher in the existing exhibition, namely the stuffed stallion Keje fan ‘e Kilewier (Oege 267 x Jillis 301) in combination with the Gouden Sjees. But Keje and his peers will receive even more attention in their own section of the museum. “A place where the visitor is immersed in the world of this fantastic animal,” says Henk Dijkstra, the former director of the museum who is now in charge as project leader. ‘The visitor experiences the aspects of the ‘Frysk Hynder’, the Royal Friesian, the black gold. It will be an attraction that will entertain a broad target group, where the versatility of the horse is central. The role that the horse has played and continues to play in people’s lives, in sports, tradition and culture, even in theater and film are discussed.’

Sources: Hippomobiel Heritage Foundation and Leeuwarder Courant

Photo: Stichting Hippomobiel Erfgoed