Podcast with political historian Anne Petterson about the Dutch Gold State Coach

On Friday 18 June, the exhibition De Gouden Koets opens in the Amsterdam Museum. Political and cultural historian Anne Petterson of the Radboud Institute for Culture and History (RICH) was part of a group that advised the exhibition team over the past year. In the NPO1 podcast De Dag she talks about the history of the mobile showpiece.

Golden State Coach, 2011. Photo: R.J. Essink

After a restoration process of over five years, the Gouden Koets (the Dutch Gold State Coach) is being displayed for the public. The carriage is on loan to the Amsterdam Museum until 27 February 2022. This means that the carriage will temporarily return to Amsterdam, the city that gave it to Queen Wilhelmina in 1898.

Criticism

It is still open to question whether King Willem-Alexander will continue to drive around in the carriage after the exhibition. In recent years, criticism on the historic showpiece has raised due to a panel – entitled Tribute to the Colonies – on one side of the carriage, which critics say is racist. Anne Petterson: ‘I think it's very important that we talk about this. That's why I like the exhibition so much. In order to be able to have a conversation, we must first of all be well informed.'

Listen to the podcast about the struggle with the Golden Coach (in Dutch)

Opening

The exhibition De Gouden Koets will be officially opened by King Willem-Alexander on Thursday 17 June. The opening (in Dutch) can be followed live from 8.30 pm via the website of the Amsterdam Museum.