Volksbuurtmuseum
Waterstraat 27 – 29
3511 BW Utrecht
Tel. 030 – 231 82 92
The Dutch museum of back streets and popular neighbourhoods (Volksbuurtmuseum) is situated walking distance from Utrecht central station. The museum offers some of its exhibitions in English, including a multimedia installation with stories about popular neighbourhoods, told in Cockney, and an animation film about the history of the area of ‘Wijk C’ in Utrecht.
The working-class neighborhood used to be a neighborhood where “the common people” lived, often in small houses in poor condition. Every city had its working-class neighborhoods. Utrecht had Wijk C, once so named because the French occupiers could not (or would not) pronounce the Dutch names.
Wijk C was Utrecht’s most densely populated neighborhood 100 years ago. In the district, large families lived in small hovels. The residents lived mostly outside. Everyone had to work very hard for a few cents and there was a lot of poverty. But there was also much togetherness and solidarity.
Although Wijk C is the only district in Utrecht still referred to by a letter, the neighborhood has changed a lot in the meantime.
The working-class neighborhood of 100 years ago no longer exists, but it has resulted in the Volksbuurt Museum.
We still live close together and there are all kinds of challenges in living together. Step into the life of the De Jong family and discover the big and small stories of ordinary life in a working-class neighborhood in Utrecht. Maybe after this you will look at your neighborhood with a completely different perspective!
The text and audio in the museum is translated into English.
