Stained glass window depicting the Royal Family
Produced by NV Crabeth, The Hague 1922
Gift to the municipality of Brielle from the Algemeen Nederlands Verbond, 1922
Restored by Johan de Haan and Haarlems Glas in Lood Huis, 2017
Gift to the municipality of Brielle from Johan de Haan, 2017
In January 1922 the Algemeen Nederlands Verbond (General Dutch Association) decided to give the municipality of Brielle a gift to mark the 350th anniversary of the capture of Brielle. The gift consisted of a stained glass window depicting the Royal Family standing on the steps of the town hall, based on a photograph taken on 1 April 1922. It features Queen Mother Emma, Queen Wilhelmina, Princess Juliana and Prince Hendrik. They visited Brielle on 1 April 1922. Queen Wilhelmina gave a speech on the steps of the town hall; film of this can be seen in the museum. Prior to the speech the Royal Family had visited Bastion I, where the foundations of the Noordpoort (North Gate) had been uncovered earlier that year. Queen Wilhelmina unveiled the 1 April monument there (film of the unveiling can also be seen in the museum). The stained glass window was lost after the town hall was rebuilt in 1995. Despite intensive efforts by Brielle municipal council and Historische Vereniging De Brielse Maasmond (formerly Vrienden van het Historisch Museum Den Briel (Friends of Brielle Historical Museum)), particularly its member Mr Aard Heijmans, the window could not be found. Even a reward offered by the Historische Vereniging did not result in its recovery.
Until… the Algemeen Nederlands Verbond put the Brielle’s municipal museum in touch with stained glass artist and restorer Johan de Haan in Haarlem in February 2017. De Haan was in possession of the window, having bought it at a flea market in Amsterdam in around 2014. De Haan was willing to restore the window and return it to the municipality of Brielle. The window has been part of the town hall again since 2 November 2017.
