What basement bar belonging to anyone with tenure in the travel industry doesn’t have one? Since the 1950s, KLM has been handing out Delft Blue Houses filled with Bols Jenever to World Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights. The houses are miniature versions of buildings in the Netherlands and abroad with a special history and are sought-after collector’s items.
Since 1994, the number of houses has been in sync with the age of KLM with a new one added to the collection every year on KLM’s birthday (Oct. 7).
This year, KLM – the oldest airline in the world still flying under its own name – is celebrating its 105th anniversary this year and for the 21st lustrum (five-year period), the choice was made to model the blues houses for ‘Het huis aan de drie grachten’ – a national monument in Amsterdam.
The mansion in the centre of the city dates from 1610 and was built in Dutch Renaissance style and owes its name to the fact that it has different canals on three sides: the Grimburgwal, the Oudezijds Voorburgwal (front) and the Oudezijds Achterburgwal. This gives the canal house different angles: diagonal and straight.
The house underwent a major renovation in 1909 and has become an architectural masterpiece. The architect, Jan de Meyer, wanted to completely restore the canal house to its 17th-century state after it had been sold, divided and renovated several times since 1687. New window frames, stepped gables and, at the entrance, a sandstone door frame were added to the house.
The interior was also included in the restoration project; the oak draught doors and marble floors were replaced, for example. For many years, ‘Het huis aan de drie grachten’ was used as a bookshop and publishing house.
“The unveiling of a new KLM house on our anniversary is always a special moment, especially when it is a lustrum,” says Marjan Rintel, President and CEO of KLM. “We are celebrating this anniversary in a challenging time for our company. However, in our 105-year history, we have often faced headwinds and KLM has always shown itself to be creative and resilient in overcoming them.”
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