The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were a prosperous time for the Wadden Islands. Also for Ameland. Whaling played an important role in this: Amelanders went whaling and that was a good trade at that time. Many old houses in Hollum, Ballum and Nes recall the time of the whaling captains, the commanders. The heyday was from 1650 and 1800 and during that time many houses were built by the commanders and helmsmen who had the money for it.
Herenweg Hollum / Source: Ameland Press Agency
Commander’s houses on Ameland
The commanders made a good living from whaling and they spent part of that money on building a house on the island: a commander’s house. It produced beautiful houses and was good for the island’s economy.
The story goes that a commander’s house can be recognized on Ameland by a double row of protruding ledge stones in the facade. Facade anchors indicate the year in which the house was built.
Mouse teeth
The decorated edge in the facade, where a corner of the stone protrudes, is a special masonry bond. It is also called mouse teeth edge .
The commander has two rows of mouse teeth at the top and towards the middle of the facade. It became one of the characteristic elements in the architecture that made the purpose of the building recognizable. Whaling helmsmen had a row of mouse teeth put into their facades. They knew their place and knew that their house should not be more lavishly decorated than their manager.
Myth
The story of the ridges is also dismissed as a myth. The mouse teeth have a practical significance in preventing water from entering the facade and the masonry bond was dictated by practice and not reserved for commanders and helmsmen. The mouse teeth would simply be water moldings in the facade, to prevent water ingress. The myth is more beautiful than the practical explanation, so it is passed down from one generation to the next and provides beautiful stories during tours through the villages.
Source: Postcard Photo Han de Vries
Commanders and tiles
The commanders also spent money on the interior of their house. Many commander’s houses are covered on the inside with tiles and here and there tile panels with images of ships and whaling. The tiles were a purposeful wall covering, but the beautifully decorated tiles and tableaus were an aesthetic addition, an extra and a display of wealth.
Monument
The commander’s houses, which have stood the test of time after all these years, have the status of monuments and may not be changed on the outside – and some may not be changed on the inside either. The old houses largely determine the rustic atmosphere in the villages.
The cultural history Museum Sorgdrager in Hollum is a commander’s house that is accessible to the public. The house was built on behalf of Commander Sorgdrager.
Whalers
The whalers sailed on sailboats and hunted whales in rowboats. The harpooner sat at the front of the rowing boat and lunged at the whale. In the Sorgrager museum the history of the Amelanders on shore is described and shown. In the garden of the museum there is a harpoon used to shoot whales in the twentieth century. The harpoon that was thrown manually at the whale, as was done in the time of the commanders, can be seen inside the museum.
Hidde Dirks Kat’s diary
The Hollumer Hidde Dirks Kat wrote a diary about his experiences as commander on the Juffrouw Klara. He wrote his adventures in ‘Diary of a Journey to Whale and Robben Catch, made in the years 1777 and 1778’ . Kat’s ship was cracked by the ice and the men were forced to hibernate. A memorial stone to Kat can be found at the cemetery in Hollum and a street has been named after him. There is also a bronze statue of this commander on HD Katstraat.
Commander Sorgdrager
Commander Pieter Cornelis Sorgdrager also wrote a diary: ‘Memorij, the diary of Cornelis Pieter Sorgdrager.’ He is the Sorgdrager who lived on the corner of Herenweg Oosterlaan, in the house where the cultural history museum is now located.
Commander Marten Jansen
Marten Jansen is a well-known commander who came from Nes and the restaurant called Het Witte Paard is a reminder of whaling.
read more
- Skylight on Ameland – window decoration above the front door
- Whaler Hidde Dirks Kat from Ameland
- Whaler and commander Marten Jansen from Ameland
- In the Heart of the Sea – film about whaler Essex
- Ambergris, amber, ambergris – scented substance from the sperm whale
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