Whilst there may be other things in the world going on, KLM isn’t letting that get in the way of traditions, as it releases its 101st delft house that will be offered to World Business Class passengers.
The new house was released on the 7th of October. It is a miniature replica of the 800-year-old building “Die Mariaen” (now known as “De Moriaan”) in ’s-Hertogenbosch in the southern province of Brabant in the Netherlands.
This historical building is described in the city archives as “tcasteel op die Mariaen”, the castle on the Mariaen. According to KLM, It’s hard to say to what “Mariaen” referred exactly, but the name has been changed by vernacular speech over the centuries and is now known as “De Moriaan”.
“De Moriaan” was chosen to be the 101st KLM miniature house because it was built as a mercantile house and because the province of Brabant is a major contributor to the Dutch economy today, with international commerce that brings many passengers to KLM.
The Delftware houses have been offered since the 1950s, containing Bols Genever to World Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights. The houses are replicas of monumental buildings throughout the Netherlands and of course – are collectable (see eBay for example…):
The number of houses in the collection has kept pace with KLM’s anniversary since 1994, with new miniatures being added to the collection on or around KLM’s anniversary on 7 October.
In quotes
KLM President & CEO Pieter Elbers said:
It is important that we hold on to our KLM traditions in times of crisis. For our loyal customers, our miniature houses symbolise their ties with KLM, which we want to cherish and preserve. This is why we didn’t hesitate to produce house number 101. “Die Mariaen” symbolises the importance of international entrepreneurship for the Netherlands, especially in times of economic adversity. KLM’s job is to ensure that people can come together through our extensive route network. We will continue to fulfil this role.
Time to collect!
For those who like aviation related collectables (or often flies KLM World Business Class), this is another collectable that is different from the usual amenity kit or slippers.
It’s an unique offering for an airline to
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