From September 21, 2024 upto March 9, 2025
‘Reis van de parels’ (Journey of the pearls)
Power of the nobility in the Low Countries, dowries and inheritances
How did a nobleman or -woman rise to the top of the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries? Buy a beautiful castle: the first step to power and prestige. Negotiate smartly by selling inheritances. Collect wealth by haggling for dowries, because every piece of gold counts!
In the exhibition ‘Reis van de parels’, Museum Kasteel Wijchen presents how the nobility in Gelre acquires power and what role dowries and inheritances play in this. Discover the glorious rights of the lords Bronckhorst-Batenburg and meet Emilia van Oranje Nassau. How does she use her inheritance to purchase Castle Wijchen in the early 17th century? Is it her letters of petition or her pearls?
The exhibition is part of ‘Nobility, citizens and outsiders’, a collaboration project between Museum Kasteel Wijchen, Museum Tweestromenland and Buitengoed Ruysbos.
This project was made possible by the Province of Gelderland.