As part of the GIFS case studies, regeneration was undertaken in the historic village of Arnemuiden in the Netherlands. The city of Arnemuiden in the province of Zeeland, the Netherlands is a small village of 5,400 residents with a long history.

This regeneration involved investing in a programme of street refurbishment, improving the image and brand of Arnemuiden and supporting the local community as they set about identifying and developing new economic initiatives based on Arnemuiden’s fishing heritage. The outcomes of this regeneration include next to the street refurbishment, the so called Women’s Think Tank. The Women’s Think Tank forms the base of community decision making and is symbolized by women from Arnemuiden; the traditional fishermen’s sweater is a fishing-inspired product that was created in this project. Next to that a website to support the sale of the sweaters and other related products was launched. These eye-catching reminders of the historic fishing past of Arnemuiden are visible on the interactive map, in the “Arnemuiden sprankelende tradities” glossy magazine and in the GIFS media gallery. More information about this case study can be found in the toolkit and the “Heritage as a source of inspiration: changing identities in Arnemuiden”  report.

Figure: Statues and Their Living Models (Source: © Municipality of Middelburg).