Batavia replica leaves Amsterdam, probably for the last time

The reconstruction of the VOC ship Batavia left Amsterdam on Thursday 1 October, only two weeks after it arrived.

The ship sits on a floating pontoon, and tugboats are towing it back to Flevoland.

On the morning it left, the huge vessel passed Centraal Station on its way out of the city.

The Batavia came to Amsterdam by the same route in the other direction in mid-September for restoration work at the NDSM wharf.

The part of the hull that has always been underwater had been suffering from serious wood rot for some time and needed repairs.

Since then, the conclusion has been that the ship can no longer float.

This is therefore probably the ship’s last voyage.

Once it is back in Lelystad, the Batavia will be pulled onto land and moved to Museum Batavialand.

For more on the VOC era and the city’s past, check out our guide to Amsterdam’s history.

Source: AT5