Czaar Peterhuisje

The Czaar Peterhuisje is one of the oldest cottages in the Netherlands. Peter the Great lived in this cottage during his stay in the Netherlands in 1697. The tsar came specially to the Zaan region to study shipbuilding.

The museum
The museum is a building within a building: a wooden cottage converted by a stone roof. The wooden cottage was built in 1632, making it one of the oldest wooden cottages in the Netherlands. It is preserved due to the fact that Peter the Great inhabited it for eight days during his stay in the Netherlands in 1697.

History
The tsar came specially to the Zaan region to study shipbuilding. The interior of the cottage includes some furniture from Peter the Great's time, a number of paintings, engravings and etchings. The stone canopy was commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia. The architectural style is late 19th century; a Russian Orthodox church served as an example.

Restoration
In March 2013, the Czaar Peterhuisje reopened after an intensive restoration. Without intervention, the national monument would have been sinking further and further into the ground; moreover, woodworm had been found in the foundation. The reopening took place in the bilateral Netherlands-Russia year.