Monday 26 May 2014

Waanders in de Broeren

Waanders in de Broeren
As I wrote yesterday I went to Zwolle for a wedding anniversary last weekend and last Saturday I went into town with my mother. One of the things we visited was 'Waanders in de Broeren', which could be translated into something like  'Waanders in the Brothers'. In 1836 a certain J.M.W. Waanders opened a small bookshop/publisher/bindery in one of the small streets of Zwolle. His business grew and grew and the shop moved a few times to larger locations. In 2013  W.G.J.M. Waanders could finally open his new location after a few years of negotiations with the city council of Zwolle: in the former church of the Franciscan Brothers. Their cloister was built in the 15th century. The oldest part of the church, the choir, was built between 1466 and 1480.
glass stained windows of Waanders in de Broeren
W.G.J.M. Waanders envisioned not only a bookshop, but also a place for musical recitals, exhibitions, a restaurant and other cultural events. He finally got his way.
organ at Waanders in de Broeren
The organ was donated by Mr P. Queijsen to the Reformed Church on 10 June  1824. I didn't find much information on the organ, but I imagine it was cleaned and restored during the major face-lift of the building. I also imagine that it is still used for concerts.
roof of the ship in Waanders in de Broeren
A lot of old elements and murals were recovered during the restoration. I think it was done beautifully. My mother and I had a coffee underneath this wonderful ceiling and it was literally awesome.
staircase in Waanders in de Broeren
On one side in the middle of the ship a new staircase was built leading up to several floors, tripling the floor size of the place. In my opinion the design of the staircase totally fits in with the rest of the building adding a modern touch to it  without being dominant.
A combination of old and new, I'm all for it. 'Waanders in de Broeren' is a lovely place to wonder around, browse through all kinds of books, have a coffee or dinner, or listen to a concert. For more information, read here.

1 comment:

  1. I too love Waanders! I made stunning pictures, as you did. A lovely shop. Waanders, the owner, was given an award for this shop which is also a cultural centre. He organises organ recitals here etc. By the way, I think it is Franciscan Brethern. Different forn brothers.

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