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The Middle Ages in fragments

Geldersch Landschap & Kasteelen, Ammerzoden (NL), 2024

Visitors to Ammersoyen Castle can follow an adventure trail to discover ancient shards that come together to form a realistic picture of the late Middle Ages.


Photos: Levin den boer

Shards

How can Ammersoyen Castle differentiate itself from other castles? When Gelders Landschap & Kastelen (GLK) approached us, this was the central question. In a pressure cooker session, the concept emerged: 'The Middle Ages in bits'. The starting point was the impressive collection of shards found in the moat and the fact that our picture of the Middle Ages is pieced together from the shards of information that remain. Researchers continue to uncover new knowledge which is calling into question what we thought we knew about the Middle Ages. We featured this concept in a bid book supporting financing of the project:

Choose your own adventure

Accessibility was a challenge in the medieval building, where not all parts are accessible. We sought the solution by transforming a visit into a voyage of discovery with the ‘adventure trails’. Visitors choose their own trail, encountering archaeological shards from the collection in unexpected ways. We have linked shards of information to these finds that nuance misconceptions and stereotypes. For example, the route focusing on medieval women begins with a fragment of a Virgin Mary statue and moves on to a stereotypical image of a woman embroidering before finally revealing that many women earned and managed their own money.

For kids

To engage children (aged 7-12), information is presented in a playful and interactive way. Guess the ingredients of beer in the brewing cellar, search through a beer charter with lights, or spin an information wheel about Gelre. In the shard lab, under the guidance of a volunteer, they can put together medieval shards like a true archaeologist. And at the ‘secrets’ posts, a knight character shares interesting clichés about the smallest and most unobtrusive places in the castle. Again and again, we see how looking carefully at historical shards enables us to piece together a new, more realistic picture of the Middle Ages.

Credits

Client
Gelders Landschap & Kastelen

Content design, scriptwriting and copy editing
Studio Louter

Spatial design
Even More

Graphic design
Type 3

Audio
KlevR Sounddesign

Media production (introductory film)
Motoko

Construction
Flink

Lighting design
Studio Flek

Mural
Marius Erfgoed