Do you know the name Jacob Cats? This Dutch statesman was born here, in Brouwershaven. At the Brouws Museum, the stories of seafaring and siliation come together in two historic buildings in the heart of this former harbour town on Schouwen-Duiveland, a place where poetic words and nautical worlds meet.
Discover the life and work of statesman and popular poet Jacob Cats (1577–1660), born in Brouwershaven and known far beyond Zeeland for his wise sayings and moral lessons. Through an audiovisual presentation and unique objects, the museum brings you closer to this literary voice of the delta.
The museum also features a rich maritime collection, including ship models, navigational instruments, nautical charts, prints, and paintings. All testify to the period when Brouwershaven grew into a major transhipment port. During the silting of key sea channels, the town even temporarily took over the role of Rotterdam.
The Brouws Museum shows how sea, language, and city come together to shape identity. Here, the Netherlands found its voice through the words of Jacob Cats, and a small harbour town briefly became a maritime hub. The museum reveals how people and water, trade and culture, landscape and literature all shaped and influenced one another.