The national theme year 'Mondrian to Dutch Design' was a resounding success. The all-new Mondrian House also did extremely well, as visitor numbers more than doubled.
The underlying theme year Mondrian to Dutch Design, in which the centenary of the art movement De Stijl was celebrated extensively throughout the country, was widely embraced by residents, tourists, entrepreneurs, (international) press and foreign tour operators. In the Utrecht-Amersfoort region alone, all exhibitions and activities attracted some 245,000 visitors. The completely renovated Mondrian House also did extremely well, as visitor numbers more than doubled.
The cultural heritage of De Stijl has been emphatically put on the map in the province of Utrecht and will continue to have great appeal for (inter)national visitors beyond 2017.
It was the first time that Utrecht and Amersfoort acted together in a theme year initiated by NBTC Holland Marketing. "I look with great pleasure at what we have achieved in the cooperation between Amersfoort, Utrecht and the province. A rock-solid programme that suits our region very well: modern, innovative and cultural. The province of Utrecht was the breeding ground of de Stijl. We will continue to cherish and present the heritage of Rietveld and Mondriaan in the future," said Utrecht provincial executive member Mariette Pennarts.
Aldermen Houwing (Culture) and Stegeman (Tourism) of the Amersfoort municipality note that Mondrian to Dutch Design tremendously alive in Amersfoort this year. "There were countless local initiatives, in addition to the wonderful programme in the museums. It was great to see how Amersfoort immersed itself in De Stijl and to hear how pleasantly surprised visitors from outside the city and foreign media were about the charm of our city."