The Gown and the Shipwreck

Three-part TV series, five-part podcast series and online interactive dive into the ship (2023)

“It is like a Rembrandt from the sea”

The Gown and The Shipwreck is the story of a unique archaeological find from the Palmwood wreck off the coast of Texel. From the moment the dress was illegally unearthed from the Wadden Sea, it has caused worldwide excitement. For all involved, the treasure is "what you do it all for" and, at the same time, one diving club member sighs, "The wreck has become a curse".

It is a multi-faceted project with a three-part documentary series, a podcast series and an interactive website where you can visit the wreck yourself with an online diving experience.

The gown from the Palmwood wreck was presented with much drumbeat in 2016. There, a motley crew of passionate scientists plunged into the finds from the wreck. The province of North Holland is making millions available for it. In the laboratories, archives and workshops - using high-tech equipment and a good dose of imagination - an attempt is being made to interpret the unique find. Gradually, the stories get bigger and more fantastical. British princesses, little Turkish boys, Lithuanian nobility, Swedish cannons. Which ship was this? Whose dress was it? How did all these objects and people from all corners of Europe get on board one ship off the coast of Texel? Will the scientists succeed in unravelling the mystery of this one ship, her cargo and the people on board?

Meanwhile, the authorities are trying to get their hands on all the finds from the wreck. Will the divers keep any items behind? Will the finds come back to the island after investigation? Clashing worlds complicate the investigation.

Three-part documentary series The Gown and the Shipwreck

The dress and other treasures from the Palmwood wreck are causing a clash between Texel divers and mainland government authorities. Whereas the divers prefer to keep their illegal treasures on the island, scientists react with shock at the way they handled the art treasures. Moreover, North Holland province also wants something in return for the millions of euros they invest in researching the objects.

Five-part podcast The Gown and the Shipwreck

Whereas the TV series follows the contemporary entanglements surrounding the Palmwood wreck and the interactive brings the wreck to life virtually, the podcast focuses on the search for the owner of the dress.

Who did the dress belong to? The finds give scientists of various kinds hints and punchlines towards Poland, Turkey and a British theatre company. The podcast the Night Watch of the Wadden Sea becomes an exciting science detective that takes you right through 17th-century Europe. What do we actually know about history and our historiography?

An online interactive dive into the ship

In the interactive The Jurk and the Shipwreck, we zoom in on the find itself: the Palmwood wreck and some of the most extraordinary objects found here. As a visitor, you are taken underwater to the Netherlands' best-hidden national monument; the sunken residue of the 'Schiphol of the 17th century' - of which the Palmwood wreck is a part. Over the years, a treasure trove of finds has surfaced here. In wrecks of street traders, East Sea sailors, warships, inland ships, slave ships, VOC ships and WIC ships, numerous ship gear, merchandise and personal belongings are very well preserved. These are all time capsules that can tell us new and unique stories. The many wrecks cover an important part of Dutch modern history. Italy has Pompeii, the Netherlands has the wrecks in the Wadden Sea.

In this interactive, we zoom in on the Palmwood wreck and its cargo.

COLOFON

Director over-all: Arnold van Bruggen
Executive producer over-all: Laura Verduijn & Sanne Wiltink (Prospektor)
Creative producer over-all: Eefje Blankevoort

Editor documentary: Maurik de Ridder
Camera: Thomas Roebers & Maarten Kramer a.o.
Sound: Gideon Bijlsma en Björn Warning a.o
Music docu, podcast & interactive: Roald van Oosten
Sound design and post: Huibert Boon
Grading: Amator
Design: Marcel C. De Vries
Editor in chief: Marloes Blokker / NTR

Podcast
Editing and directing Tjitske Mussche
Editor in chief: Marion Oskamp
Audio post: Wederik de Backer

Interactive:
Concept: Thomas Lievestro
Design: Marcel C. De Vries, Menno Wittebrood & Floris Deerenberg
UX/UI: Marcel C. De Vries & Thomas Lievestro
3d models design: Nick Berjoan
Technical realisation: Thomas Lievestro & Ruben Bimmel (q42)
Production NTR: Irene Uit den Bosch
Project assistence NTR: Derk Molijn
editor-in-chief NTR: Ingrid Walschots
Promo NTR; Sander Vreeburg
Voiceover: Tirsa With in Oorbit Studio
Model Palmhoutwrak / pinas: Tijdlab / Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed

Made possible by:
this production is financially made possible by: NPO Fonds, NPO, NPO Innovatie, NTR, Stichting Afstandseducatie, Waddenfonds, StifTexel, Provincie Noord-Holland, Samenwerkende Maritieme Fondsen, Prins Bernard Cultuurfonds, Mullerfonds.