30 years Bijlmer Plane Crash

Shock, grief and disbelief

The Amsterdam Museum exhibition gives an idea of the shock, grief and disbelief experienced by many people in the Bijlmer. It features newspaper headlines from the day after the crash – 'Fire, death, chaos... It banked and then plummeted straight down' – and transcriptions on canvas of calls to the emergency services. There are also drawings showing how primary-school students experienced the disaster, and contributions by three teachers who encouraged them to do the drawings.

The exhibition includes two fragments of the aircraft that were found and kept by individuals, and works of art about the disaster.

Raise awareness

Together with Imagine IC, a heritage centre in the Zuidoost district, the Amsterdam Museum talked to local people about the crash. The content of those discussions formed the basis of this exhibition, which is about how Amsterdammers feel about the disaster, how they remember it, and how different generations are dealing with the trauma. The exhibition is being held in the centre of Amsterdam at the request of people in Bijlmer, to raise awareness of the crash in other parts of the city.

Collecting the City #2

This small exhibition is part of the Collecting the City #2 project. Together with communities, individuals and institutions from Amsterdam, the Amsterdam Museum 'collects' and presents the stories and objects of today's city.