Three centuries of paper cutting
The collection surveys more than three centuries of work by Dutch paper-cutting artists. Its oldest piece depicts the Frisia, flagship of the Frisian Admiralty. Works include those by J.A. Stompff, Pieter Reijnders, Justus van Maurik and Jan Schot, and more recent makers Gertrud Januszewski, Jan Cupido, Evert Root and Nella Koch. There are also cut-paper works from other European countries and Israel. Displays change regularly because the whole collection cannot be shown at once.
Stories in paper
An unsigned paper cut from 1808 was a wedding gift. Another depicts the Westerbork custom of appelrillen: anyone could pick apples still on the trees on 1 November, to the dismay of a newly arrived minister who did not know the custom.
From Roden to Westerbork
Paper-cutting artist Wiecher Tjeert Lever founded Het Nederlands Museum van Knipkunst in Roden in 1960. It moved to Westerbork in 1964. After his collection was sold in 1988, Westerbork residents started the present museum. Work by his son Jan Lever, a painter and museum curator, is shown in the 2026 season. Visual artist Tienke Zijlstra makes new work based on the collection for the Schatten in Drenthe project.
Cut paper yourself
A workshop lasts about two hours and includes guidance from a paper-cutting artist, materials, coffee or tea and a treat. It costs €17.95 per person for groups of at least ten.