We are bewildered

The Amsterdam public transport museum (AOM) and the foundation for City- and regional Bus Transport Amsterdam (MUSA) have been bewildered by a pronouncement of the judge from which appears that the depot at Bellamyplein square and the bus garage at Oranje Vrijstaatkade in Amsterdam East by 1 April and 1 March respectively, will have to be cleared.

On 8 December 2004, after many years', laborious negotiations and lawsuits with the municipality concerning an alternative location (behind the Haarlemmermeerstation in the south disctrict) and the required budgets for construction and exploitation of it, the museums have struck an agreement with the municipality. At the following Council meeting of 15/16 December 2004 during the budget proposals to effectively put the required budgets for rehousing on the table however, the municipality suddenly appeared unwilling. Moreover, it was decided that- if no money - thus no housing - was available, the museumtrams would also be banned from using the municipal tramnet. The meaning and connection between the two are not apperent to the museum organisations and leaves us puzzled. The money could also be attracted by other means instead of municipal funds, but besides that the AOM has a long-term contract with the municipality Amsterdam for the use of the municipal rail infrastructure. A now imminent forced evacuation of the premises is thus again a slap in the face of the public transport museums.

No operating trams and buses = no income = bankruptcy
Again a slap, because the alderman Ter Horst wrote back in 1997, that the current premises - and in any case the tramdepot - preferably should become permanent housing, and would this not be possible, the municipality would ensure alternative lodging in time. In spite of innumerable letters, reports, Council addresses, etc. of the past years and also addressed at the continuators of alderman G. van der Horst, the current responsible alderman Stadig did nothing. And when he finally undertook action, it appeared to be designed to send the museums to their downfall. Important factor is that the AOM are dependent on a rail connection to the tramnet; this way securing its income from the rent of its historic fleet. Without this income both the AOM and also the MUSA will go bankrupt in short term and the historical collection of trams, buses and ferries, dating back from 1904 (!) up to present, will have to be sent to the scrapyard. That thereby in global terms a unique and complete collection will be lost forever, even the mobile heritage of Amsterdam itself, doesn't seem to interest the same municipality in the least bit. Not to mention the years of expertise and knowledge which comes in at restoring and running historical rolling stock that will also be lost. Knowledge which has been built in the past thirty years. AOM and MUSA are capable to maintain themselves and did not receive any substantial subsidies the last couple of years for their tram - and buscollections. A rare thing in the museumworld.

Failing cultural policy; it will become quiet at the coming "Museum Night"!
Apart from this it again becomes clear how much the cultural policy of the municipality Amsterdam is failing. The current policy proves to be lethal for many cultural institutions. After the disappearance of the Trade Union museum, the Pianola museum and museum Energetica, Amsterdam now faces losing the AOM and the MUSA. And all that in a time in which income from tourism falls rapidly while the municipality has lots to say of its ‘culturual policy’, which so far only appears to result in continuing brawls about "Museumsquare" and the sponsoring of the City Museum by a car manufacturer.... Not to mention the still to be established Design museum at the "Zuidas" (South Corridor) which with a floor area of not less than 60,000 m2 is at least ten(!) times as large as what ever will be necessary for AOM and MUSA housing. That will be standing vacant and empty most of the time, because it will only house temporary exhibitions. Put in other words: we know, however, a destination for that vacancy... AOM and MUSA will in spite of everything continue their negotiations with the municipality and private investors to see if there is still a way out of this situation.

Stupefaction in museumworld
Meanwhile our museums received expressions of symphathy from all over the world and the local and the international museum world reacted with stupefaction to this news. Particularly foreign museums in the same area of interest such as from Vienna, London and Brussels don't understand anything of the uncooperativeness of the municipality Amsterdam, which in their view should be proud to nourish and host its own mobile heritage, as is possible in those cities. However, the municipality Amsterdam has haughtily turned away themselves from all world cities (even the less prosperous former Eastern Bloc countries), where one deals creatively with its mobile heritage.

Ignoring public opinion
With the decisions that the municipality Amsterdam has taken the last months, the majority of the municipality Council shows little respect to what a signature collection has declared end 2002/beginning 2003: more than 12,000 citicens, Amsterdam and non-Amsterdam alike, have enthusiastically expressed their wish not to lose the museumcollections of AOM and MUSA Barely two years on, this doesn't seem to be noticed anymore. AOM and MUSA have been disconcerted about how the municipality thinks it should handle its own city history; are not all its inhabitants "spiritual co-owners" of their historic public transport fleet? Or has arrogance already struck at the municipality and forgets all this for peace of mind?

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