Did you know that Willem Barentsz, the famous explorer, was born on Terschelling? You may know from history books that in 1596 his ship was stranded on Novaya Zemlya. To survive the polar winter, he and his crew built Het Behouden Huys (the Saved House).
Het Behouden Huys has been reconstructed in the museum of the same name. Here you can step aboard Willem Barentsz’s ship and you will get a good idea of how Terschelling has been associated with shipping for centuries. After all, Willem Barentsz wasn’t the only islander to sail the seven seas; other inhabitants also spent years away from home. The museum also provides information about the general history of the island and the lifeboat institute.
Nice to know!
There’s no avoiding Willem Barentsz on Terschelling. The long street in the port is Willem Barentszkade and the Maritime Institute is name after Holland’s most famous explorer. You’ll find a statue of the seafarer on Hoofdstraat in Formerum, the where he was born in 1549.
| Museum ’t Behouden Huys | |
| Address: | Commandeurstraat 30, West-Terschelling |
| Open: | see website |
| Online: | behouden-huys.nl |