THE THREE MIRACLES REUNITED AT THE TOWN HALL

In the 1630s, the municipal government commissioned paintings of several remarkable figures living in Edam. They are remarkable because they stood out due to their physical appearance. Pieter Dircksz Langbaert with his exceptionally long beard, Trijntje Keever, the tallest woman of that time, and Jan Claesz Clees, the innkeeper of the inn ‘s-Gravenhage, nicknamed the Fat Landlord due to his exceptional body size. The idea behind this commission was to attract attention with these ‘miracles’ of Edam. At that time, there was an interest in exhibiting people with abnormalities, often caused by illness, at fairs and similar events. The Edam municipal government also thought about promoting tourism. The importance of these extraordinary residents is evident from the fact that all three were depicted full-length.

The paintings hung in the Princenhof in Edam until 1792. After being saved from a fire, they were later moved to the Town Hall. The French draftsman and art historian Henry Havard, who traveled extensively throughout our country, described these paintings in his travelogue from 1875.

A few years after the foundation, the paintings were loaned to the Edam Museum and placed in the Coopmanshuys. In 1975, the Town Hall ceased to function as an office, and a few years later, it became the second location of the Edam Museum.

Trijntje Keever and Langbaert moved to the mayor’s room while the Fat Landlord remained alone in the Coopmanshuys.

The museum board has decided to reunite the Miracles, who have been exhibited together for centuries. On June 17, 2024, Imming Logistic Fine Art transported the Fat Landlord, and since then, the Miracles have been reunited in the mayor’s room of the Town Hall.