Hanseatic mural

This was also the case when we spoke to Caroline van den Berg (manager of the Aparthotel) about the mural. “This is a real work of art,” a passing couple states as they pause for a moment.

A work of art could well be the right name for the mural that was painted on the side of the Aparthotel by 'De Strakke Hand' in two weeks’ time. Van den Berg herself is also rightly proud of the end result, not least because her father and niece can be admired. “My father figures as a merchant here and my niece is a girl from that time playing with marbles,” she visually explains the mural immortalization of her relatives.

“What we see here are all details from the Hanseatic period, incorporated with aspects of Hattem, but with a nod to the present. For example, the coloured marbles in the image are marbles made from lumps of clay. One of the commodities in the Hanseatic period were bricks, made from clay from the banks of the river IJssel. But of course there were no coloured marbles in those days. And, for example, my father wears his sports watch; also a nod to the present.”

The painting with cows also stands out and Caroline explains that it is a painting by Voerman. “The building that now houses the aparthotel used to be a city farm. The cow shed was behind the house and the animals went through this street to the floodplains of the river IJssel. This is what the painting refers to. Other paintings by Voerman you can find in the Voerman Stadsmuseum in Hattem.”

The mural is a collaboration between Aparthotel Hattem and the municipality of Hattem and is part of the ‘Hanzesteden fietsroute’, a cycling tour of 450 km along Hanseatic cities in Germany and The Netherlands.