Wolvega opens its archives for an afternoon
Editors ·
On 31 October Weststellingwerf brings films, tours and two local history stories together at the town hall. Admission is free.
On Saturday 31 October 2026, Wolvega town hall becomes a meeting place for local history from 1.30 to 4.30 pm. The municipality is holding its Day of Weststellingwerf History there, with free admission, as part of the national History Month.
Throughout the afternoon, historical societies, village archives and museums present their work in the public hall. The archivist leads tours of the municipal archive at 2 and 3 pm; guided walks through Wolvega leave at 2.30 and 3.30 pm.
The programme shows how a local story can reach much farther. At 3 pm Paul Schilperoord speaks about Johannes Wardenier, whose alleged fuel-free engine made world news in 1934. Schilperoord wrote De koning van zeven dagen about him. The talk coincides with the second archive tour.
At 4 pm Cor Trompetter discusses the Colonies of Benevolence. The area around Noordwolde has its own colonial past: according to Omrop Fryslân, about six hundred colonists lived in the East and West Vierdeparten between 1850 and 1860. The sources consulted describe the exact heritage status of this Weststellingwerf area differently.
The town hall is at Griffioenpark 1. The event comes at the end of History Month, whose 2026 theme is Body & Mind. Anyone hoping to combine a film, walk and talk should check the times first: some activities overlap.