Utrecht's ancient ship
A centuries old vessel with a strange smell.
The thousand-year-old Utrecht Ship was discovered on 3 December 1930 by workers digging on Van Hoornekade, north of the city centre of Utrecht. At first, it was thought to be a Roman vessel. The Centraal Museum’s director at the time had a large hole torn in one of the basement walls to transfer the remains of the ship to its current location in the museum.
The Utrecht ship has been on display ever since 1936. It is publicly know for its peculiar smell, caused by the conservation method with creosote (a tar product) and linseed oil. The smell of the conservaion products still fills the museum room.