Museum Fish Auction Elburg - Elburg

In the heyday of the Zuiderzee fishery, the fishing fleet on the Zuiderzee counted around 3,000 vessels. Botters, schokkers, barges, plutes and quails plied the inland salt water to catch herring, eels, anchovies, flounder and smelt. Fishermen from Elburg usually sold their goods directly to traders or on the market. This often happened at the quay or on the harbour jetty, where fishermen could trade their fish on the spot after bringing in their catch.

The Elburg fish auction was opened in 1916, initially without a bidding machine. From 1919, the auction was facilitated with a bidding machine, equipped for 30 people. The auctioneer would set the device in motion and a pointer would start running down a scale with a falling price. As soon as a buyer made a bid, by pulling a lever, the fish was sold.

When the fishing town lost its function after Eastern Flevoland was reclaimed and Elburg was no longer on open water, the fish auction also stopped. The small wooden building was demolished in 1958 and sold to a farming family in Oosterwolde, who used it as a cattle shed and storage space.

A group of enthusiastic volunteers came across the building again in 1985. They bought it back and then restored it. Since 1987, the former Fish Auction has been given a new purpose. It became a small fishing museum. It still is to this day.

The volunteers enjoy telling with all their enthusiasm about the time when the Fish Auction was the hub of Elburg's fishing industry.

Old photo: Gelders Archief