The smuggling tricks
False bottoms, hollowed books and hollow statues.
Bic โ CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท Maaikevm โ CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท Baykedevries โ CC BY-SA 3.0 ยท Maaikevm โ CC BY-SA 4.0
A tax levied in several European countries by counting a house's windows as a proxy for wealth that could be counted from outside. The architectural consequence was direct: people built houses with fewer windows, and others bricked up existing ones โ and the traces of those blocked windows are still visible on old facades in the Netherlands and Britain. A classic example of how a tax reshapes what people build.
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The Tax and Customs Museum occupies a villa on the Parklaan in Rotterdam, and its subject sounds dry until you go in: the history of taxation and smuggling in the Netherlands โ which is in fact a history of human ingenuity and evasion. Its most enjoyable section is the smuggling collection: objects customs confiscated over decades and kept for display. Cases with false bottoms, hollowed-out books, stuffed car tyres, hollow statues, lined clothing, and taxidermy with something hidden inside. Every piece is the story of a failed attempt, and some are impressively clever. The other part explains why taxes are levied and how they changed: strange historical Dutch taxes on windows, servants and candles, along with registers and collection equipment. Entry is normally free, which is striking for a museum this size โ because it is a government educational institution. It suits children better than its name suggests.
False bottoms, hollowed books and hollow statues.
Historical levies on windows, servants and candles.
Parklaan 14, 3016 Rotterdam