Schagen car museum. And 'Such'

That 'such' is North Holland. Google Translate would say 'and the like'. The chance that you will find masses of people in the Automuseum Schagen is quite minimal. It is probably busier on the nearby beach with this weather. So let's keep this story to ourselves.

In the beginning

Arie Kapitein (born in De Zijpe in 1914) was the founder of the Auto Museum Schagen. His father was a farmer and Arie was soon put to work in the company. However, Arie's heart was not with the livestock and when he got his first driver's license in 1932, at the age of 18, he was able to start working in animal transport. At that time he became infected with the autovirus and never got rid of it.

His first truck as 'own driver' was a used A-Ford from 1931 where a cattle loading platform was built. This was the start of the transport company that later developed into a bus service and coach company.

I have a dream

During his working life, Arie dreamed of one day setting up a car museum. He had already collected an interesting collection of vintage cars around him and in 1991 his dream could be realized. Arie's problem, however, was that his passion for collecting was fairly unfocused and went far. At one point there were more than seventy cars in his Automuseum Schagen. In addition, there were many that were more or less ready for demolition or fell apart almost by themselves. We know that phenomenon. Not so long ago, a 'museum director' died, a collector who owned about a hundred motorcycles and twenty cars. Among the cars was an early veteran from 1901. A very rare museum piece. In parts. There were also two Lamborghinis. And about 15 more challenging projects of which the owner at the age of 82 still thought he was going to finish them. And in Northern France we have a museum that is also half filled with projects and parts from the year onwards. Two years ago, the museum director was very busy: there had been six visitors that year. That was too much for him. We only got in thanks to my charming, perfectly French-speaking wife and the fact that we came up with a BX. But back to Schagen.

Passed by time

Father Arie hoped - just like many of his 'peers' - to be able to start the restoration of all his projects one day. But that never happened. Unfortunately, the founder of the museum passed away in 1998 and it was time to make decisions. The eleven Captain descendants were then faced with the choice: stop with the whole stuff or go full throttle. Fortunately, the latter was chosen, which however meant that a large broom had to be swept through the number of cars in the museum. Because hopeless projects are not projects.

The most beautiful pieces were kept and the collection was further supplemented with bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles. And not only that: a place was also found for old agricultural tools. A number of light stationary engines that usually have agricultural roots also fit in this context. Of course the Automuseum Schagen 'runs' on enthusiastic volunteers. People who are well-informed and know many stories.

The DAFjes collection comes from one family. The members received a Dafje when they obtained their driving license. And of course all those copies - survived and well - have been preserved.

'Louwman' is the Holy Grail in the Dutch Automobile Area

But there are plenty of endearing museums. Some of them, such as the Skoda Museum, are locally world famous. And almost never open. That makes them all the more fun. The Arnhem Rolls-Royce Museum is also an exceptional case.

But Schagen is highly recommended.
If you have any nice tips, we will keep us recommended.