Pier-to-Pier Trunk Tour: Call for suitcases that traveled from NL to the US

FENIX Migration Museum in Rotterdam is on the lookout for suitcases that travelled from the Netherlands to the United States of America. Do you happen to know a relative whose family checked in a suitcase in the Netherlands to arrive in the US? If so, you can hand in their or your own suitcase at the Netherlands Consulate General in New York and it will become part of the FENIX collection! The suitcase will be given a place in the museum, where it will be exhibited in a monumental maze of suitcases and stories about departure and arrival.

There has been a coming and going of people between the Netherlands and the US for centuries. From the late 19th century onwards, thousands of emigrants sailed every week to Ellis Island. Even now, people are still crossing the ocean every day. Heading towards a new
life. Millions of people left Europe through a Dutch port or airport. They took their first steps in the United States in New York. And with them went millions of trunks, suitcases, duffel bags and backpacks.

How can you participate?

Step 1: Save the date for an encounter on Tuesday, 23 May from 4-8 p.m. at the Netherlands Consulate General in New York. The director of FENIX and her colleagues will welcome you with open arms that day, ready and eager to receive your suitcase and story.

Step 2: Send an email to koffers@fenix.nl by 5 May at the latest, and include:
a) your name
b) a photo of the suitcase/trunk/basket/bag
c) a brief description of the journey the suitcase made. For instance, the year the journey took place, the reason for the journey, the owner of the suitcase.
d) whether there are any personal sources available that describe the journey, such as a diary, correspondence, or travellog.

Step 3: On 10 May, FENIX will send you a confirmation of the time of the meeting on 23 May at the Netherlands Consulate General (address: 666 Third Avenue, 19th floor New York City).