Nova Zembla

The Rijksmuseum exhibits more than 70 original objects left behind on the Russian archipelago of Nova Zembla after the crew of a failed expedition led by Willem Barentsz was forced to winter there in 1596.

Stuck in the Arctic

In the late 16th century, various nautical expeditions were sent out to open up the northern route to China. The aim was to secure a route that was shorter and safer than the long way round the Cape of Good Hope. Among them were three expeditions under the command of the Dutch navigator and explorer Willem Barentsz. However, none of these expeditions made it any further than Nova Zembla (Novaya Zemlya), a Russian archipelago in the Arctic Sea.

The Safety House

During Willem Barentsz' third attempt in 1596, one ship turned back in time, but the other one, with Barentsz and Captain Heemskerck on board, continued and eventually became trapped in the ice off Nova Zembla. The seventeen-strong crew spent the winter on the island in a 7.8-by-5.5-metre lodge they built - the Behouden Huis ('Safety House'). In June 1597, a little over a year after they had set out, they started their homeward journey, rowing back to the civilised world. Barentsz died on the return voyage. But twelve men made it back to Amsterdam on 1 November 1597.

Artefacts

The objects they left behind remained untouched (and preserved by the cold) for 300 years. In 1871, a Norwegian expedition found the collapsed remains of the hut, and over the years, more artefacts were recovered at the site. The Rijksmuseum's Nova Zembla collection includes remains of food, clothing, weapons, books, tools and navigational instruments, as well as trade goods such as pewter and prints.