Pronounciation of the word
‘meisje’(girl)

Meertens Instituut, Amsterdam

One of our favorite institutes is certainly the Meertens Institute, for their stunning collection of audio-recordings, written records and maps. The Meertens Institute is dedicated to the documentation and research of Dutch language and rituals we encounter in everyday culture. In the previous decades the Institute’s focus has shifted from documentation to research. At present, research is the major component of the Institute’s activities, and documentation and other activities are to a large extent made dependent on the scientific efforts.

The institute has also been the setting of a magnificent 7-volume novel by J.J. Voskuil, called Het Bureau (The Office)