The building that now houses the Mendels Bakery Museum has been used as a bakery since 1792. The site has been designated a listed building and is well preserved. From an authentic little bakery shop to the workshop with its peat-fired oven and centuries-old baking tools: here, you really stap back in time.
The oven that breathes history
The last baker to bake bread in this listed building was Hendrikus Mendels. Although the bakery museum and tea room reopened in 2024, it still bears that name. Mendels was renowned for his rye bread, baked in an oven fuelled by bundles of twigs and peat. In 1960, he was forced to choose between modernising or closing down, and opted for the latter.
As the building is a listed monument, virtually everything has remained intact. Upon entering, you’ll find yourself in a charming little bakery, complete with an old counter and bread tins belonging to local families. Bitterkoekjes, butter biscuits and king’s bread: on the shelves you can admire the old tins that once held all these delicacies. And if you walk a little further, you’ll come to the baker’s old workshop. Here you’ll see the wood- and peat-fired oven and, beneath it, the proving cabinet, as well as other baking tools such as an old speculaas machine and an almond grinder. Above the shop and workshop, in the loft, you can see even more old baking equipment.
Tea house with garden
Once you’ve explored the lovely little museum, there’s a tea house at the back of the building. And here, too, you won’t find any IKEA furniture or crockery: everything is done in an authentic style. Choose a lovely cup of tea from the extensive tea menu, curated by a real tea sommelier. The tea is served in distinctive crockery collected from charity shops. And don’t forget to order a pastry. The owner, Wendelin, bakes all the pastries herself. In this way, the baking tradition in this building lives on. Feeling a bit peckish? You can also have lunch here, with options including sandwiches, quiche or an organic meatball.
When the weather’s fine, it’s a real treat to be here. In the stinzen garden, you can take a seat in the shade of the trees or find a spot in the sun. In the background, you can hear the carillon of St Hippolytus Church ringing out, completing the picture perfectly.
Shop
Once you’ve had your fill of sightseeing and are done with your tea, do pop into the little shop at the bakery museum. Here you’ll find all sorts of lovely bits and bobs for the home – from colourful crockery to baking mixes to try your hand at baking, and of course all kinds of delicious tea.
