Amsterdam § 1

Amsterdam Pipe Smokers Society

The Amsterdams Pijprokers Genootschap is an elitist established group of people who share a mutual interest in pipes and tobacco. Members meet every month in a stylish ambiance to underline the exclusive base of the society. During the meeting a wide variety of themes illustrate the other side of pipesmoking. The aspect of conviviality and joie-de-vivre is also expressed in the tradition of a joint meal preceeding the meetings.
The society strives for a differentiation in sex, background, education and profession. From candidate-members it is expected that they can contribute to the social and cultural-historic discussions the Genootschap aspires.

Further information can be obtained at Smokiana pipeshop
or by sending an e-mail: click here

Since its foundation in fall 2000 till 2011, the managing board of the Society consisted unchanged out of :
president: Anneroos Meyboom
secretary: Benedict Goes
treasurer: Bert van den Berg

Themes of the Society meetings:
September 2000: plans for the Amsterdam Smoker's Club are being made in the main room of the Pijpenkabinet

January 2001: the four founding members talk about the future membership profile of the people to invite.
February 2001: introduction by Benedict Goes, secretary of the Dutch Federation of Pipe Smoker's Clubs about the (inter-)national circuit of meetings and contests, and the position of the Amsterdam club in this relations.
March 2001: introduction by Don Duco, museum curator, about decorations on 18th century Dutch clay pipes and the potential aspects for art historical research.
April 2001: introduction by Bert van den Berg, architect, into the work of the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, rewarded i.a. the Mies van der Rohe-award.
May 2001: discussion about topical subjects related to pipes and tobacco.
June 2001: closing of the season with unregulated discussions resulting in a most fruitfull and interesting evening.
August 2001: boat tour on the Frisian lakes in the antique family boat of Bert van de Berg.
September 2001: sampling of Danish tobaccos, mixed by Paul Olsen. Frans Brouwer, cultural manager, introduces the various tastes,.
October 2001: introduction by André Wegener Sleeswijk, insurance expert, about the choices for future development of the so-called Zuidas in Amsterdam, the presigious office blocks combined with transportation.
November 2001: introduction by Don Duco, who shows the quality pipes by the Danish pipe maker Paul Winslow.
December 2001: filosophical discussion on the contence of nothing, according to the vision on society by Chinese pipe smoker Lin Yuang, presented by Frans Rookmaaker, emeritus marine priest.

January 2002: new years drinks and tasting of a personal mix of tobaccos made by one of the members.
February 2002: presentation of the excitig life of the traveling pipe smoker Henk Meyer, new member of the society.
March 2002: tasting of various strongly flavoured tobaccos
April 2002: introduction by Benedict Goes, director of ICOMOS Netherlands, on public interest in monuments, on the occasion on World Heritage Day.
May 2002: showing of some spectacular European pipe designs, by Don Duco, museum curator.
June 2002: traditional boat tour in Frisia, enjoying the pipe, with a typical Capains' dinner at the end.
August 2002: summer evening in one of the Amsterdamse city gardens, a phenmenon thanks to the ever-lasting 17th century city laws.
September 2002: start of the new season, introduction of new members.
October 2002: catching introduction by Cees Smook, therapist, about bio-energetica and the care for psychiatrical patients during a holiday on a sailing ship.
November 2002: introduction by Don Duco about another way of smoking: opium. Various geniune Chinese opium pipes are passed around.
December 2002: smoking evening in the Grand Room of the Pijpenkabinet, with guided tour along the exclusive collection of pipes by Don Duco, curator.

January 2003: new years drink at the usual venue with some new members.
February 2003: presentation by Henk Meyer, journalist, of an impressive series of present and past famous pipe smokers.
March 2003: the start of the war in Iraq on the very evening of the club meeting caused a discussion on current safety in Amsterdam.
April 2003: organist Jan Raas tells about the building and use of another kind of pipe: the organ pipe.
May 2003: boat tour on the IJsselmeer lake on a large sailing ship, a so-called Groninger tjalk, together with our friends from the Brabant Smoker's Guild.
June 2003: walk along recent architecture ont the KNSM-eiland guided by Bert van den Berg, architect.
September 2003: discussion on the pro and contra of pre-pension, the possibility to stop working at the age of 57.
October 2003: intense discussion on the news topics of this week.
November 2003: winter-evenig in Amsterdam art club 'Arti', with life piano-music and personal discussions in small groups.
December 2003: Christmas-dinner in het Pijpenkabinet Museum, a very special evening surrounded by the world wide pipe collection.

January 2004: new years evening, various talks and discussion, no fixed theme.
February 2004: Henk talks about his experiences in the board of Philips, a most interesting multinational
Visit to the exhibition 'Tobacco in Art' in the Kunsthal, Rotterdam.
March 2004: delegation of the Pipe Club of London recieved by us, start of an international friendly alliance.
friendly allianceA second evening this month receiving the Brabants Pipe Smoker's Guild in the suitable ambiance, the friendly atmosphere and conviviality of the Amsterdam Pipesmokers Society.
April 2004: farewell-party to one of the members who moves to another region.
May 2004: photo-shoot on invitation of NRC-Handelsblad, the foremost daily newspaper in the Netherlands, for a picture in a popular sieries of articles to be published 29 may.
June 2004: preparatory discussions of the plan to make an excursion to Kopenhagen, a pipe smokers paradise.
August 2004: summer evening in an Amsterdamse garden, enjoying fresh salads, chilled white wine and fine tobaccos.
September 2004: Frans Brouwer talks about the history and habits of the Danish people, who he got to know quite well during his work in Denmark over the years.
October 2004: trip to Copenhagen, guided by Frans Brouwer, visiting not only the World Championship Pipe Smoking, but also the most exciting tobacconists, pipe making workshop of Refbjerg, who demonstrated the pipe making process from ebaucon to complete pipe.
November 2004: report of the Denmark excursion to the no-attenders.
December 2004: joint meal at the Pijpenkabinet showing some exceptional museum aquisitions of this year. All members return home with a copy of Don Duco's latest book 'Century of Change, the European clay pipe, its final flourish and ultimate fall'.

January 2005: new years evening in Arti en Amicitia happily joining all members of the Amsterdam Pipe Smokers Society.
February 2005: presentation of the year programme to the membership.
March 2005: Frans Rookmaker, emeritus priest, shows some of his work as an inventor and the patents of copyright he has.
April 2005: visit of Henk van Dijk, program maker for VPRO television, and Cherry Duyns, writer and film director, who prepare a documentary film on the changes in smoking habits during the last decades.
May 2005: Cherry Duyns and his camera crew shooting at the premises of the Pijpenkabinet a discussion of the Society about pipe smoking as a distinctive form of tobacco-enjoyment, in contrast with the cigarette-addiction.
June 2005: torough discussion of the idea of ordering a tobacco-jar of the Society, touching the design, material, size and costs.
July 2005: extra summer-evening meeting with a city-walk around the theme of the rich history in tobacco-trade in Amsterdam, followed by a nice meal.
August 2005: travel to Roermond to visit the only pipe-factory in the Netherlands, joint activity with the Branbant Pipe Smoker's Guild.
September 2005: exchange of holiday-experiences, acquisition of new briars found in new pipe shops abroad, tasting of new mixtures.
October 2005: the jubilee-committee reports on the plans for commemorating the first lustrum, including a booklet for pipe smokers.
November 2005: report of a cultural journey through China, made by Benedict Goes for his job as a conservationalist.
December 2005: joint dinner at the Pijpenkabinet Museum, including a guided tour in the reserves, with over 20.000 pipes systematically ranged in 300 drawers.

January 2006: unexpected discussion on the economic domination of China. The tobacco-jar-committee presents some sample sizes.
February 2006: introduction of a new fellow of the Smokers Society, including his work as a historian and archivist. Report of the committee on the jubilee book.
March 2006: Frans Brouwer initiates the members into the art of translating an old Hebrew/Aramaic text (Kohèlet) from ca. 250 BC into Dutch and tells about Kohèlets philosophy of life.
April 2006: discussion on the features of the special Society-pipe that will be ordered in Denmark.
May 2006: report of the travels in Surinam by Anneroos Meyboom, with the additional experiences of Steven Visser.
June 2006: discussion on the television-documentary on cigarette-smokers suing the tobacco-industry for health damage, in which the Amsterdam Smoking Society appeared demonstrating another view on smoking: peacefully, relaxing, enjoying and without addiction.
July 2006: sunny evening in the inner city-garden, visiting other geometrical gardens and greenhouses.
August 2006: dinner in the Pijpenkabinet, exchange of the holiday experiences and a lottery of a fine brair.
September 2006: exactly five years after the 11th of September 2001 discussion on the architectural plans and realisations on Ground Zero. Introduction by Bert van den Berg, architect.
October 2006: back to the basics of pipe smoking: wild Virginia tobacco smoked in original seventeenth century clay pipes. A unique but heavy experience for most of the members.
November 2006: philosofical associations on the theme pipe in relation to the life of a vicar, in other words on the "smuigertje" and the "pijpenkas". Introduction by: Frans Rookmaker.
December 2006: special dinner surrounded by the collection of the Pijpenkabinet with explanation of Don Duco of the acquisitions of the year. The club presents the special club pipe to all members.

January 2007: roll-call to the new member. Introduction in applied probability theory with examples from burial and pension insurance. Introduction by André Wegener.
February 2007: discussion of the program of the excursion to Saint Claude, prepared into detail by Frans Brouwer.
March 2007: excursion to Saint Claude, in the Haut-Jura, the French centre of the briar pipe. Visit to various pipe making workshops, numerous pipe shops, the pipe (and glasses) museum, and - as highlight - the introduction of Anneroos Meyboom and Benedict Goes as member of the Confrérie de Maîtres Pipiers.
April 2007: Eastern at the Pijpenkabinet with a lecture on briar pipes acquired in Saint Claude, part I by Don Duco.
May 2007: second part of the lecture on Saint-Claude pipes by Don Duco and a powerpoint presentation of the visit to Saint-Claude by Jan Raas.
June 2007: first open pub-evening for pipe smokers in café de Wildeman in Amsterdam.
July 2007: evaluation of the very successful pub-evening where we met several new pipe smokers, old and young.
August 2007: guided tour through the historic inner city of Amsterdam visiting sites related to the tobacco history of Amsterdam, ending with a drink at Walem on Keizersgracht. Tour organized by: Benedict Goes.
September 2007: the definition of the Dutch baai tobacco, its history and about the manupulation of taste and colour by the factories from about 1800 to present days, finally the tasting of Dutch Baai tobacco. Lecture by Don Duco.
October 2007: more about the tobacco melanges of pipe tobaccos from the beginning of the nineteenth century, ending with the tasting of mixture tobaccos. Lecture by Don Duco.
November 2007: overview of the various community activities organised by the Protestant Church for the immigrants from over 170 different countries in The Hague. Lecture by Henk Baars.
December 2007: evening among the pipe collection of the Pijpenkabinet Museum, review of the many activities this year and preview of the program for the coming year presented by chair Anneroos Meyboom.

January 2008: evening with informal chats to start the New Year, preluded with an excellent dinner at the artclub Arti et Amicitia.
February 2008: exchange of news from the past period among which the most remarkable news item the new film on famous sailor Capitain Robb now acting without a pipe, resulting in two radio-interviews by our members.
March 2008: discussion on two remarkable newspaper clippings: the last WOI veteran has passed away and at the same time the oldest Dutch inhabitant died at the age of 108, both dedicated pipe smokers! Does this mean that pipe smoking is a recepy for prolonging life?
April 2008: our members prove to be ardent travellers; this night some are abroad, the others review their adventures and smoke experiences from Vienna, Lissboa, Luxembourg, Barcelone, Slovenia and the Channel Isles.
May 2008: discussion on some chalenging theses that question our democratic and juridically safe and sound society. Introduced by: Alexander Bloemsma.
June 2008: the last pub-evening open for all pipe smokers in café De Wildeman; the first hour dominated by radio-interviews and tv-shots, later on changing into a relaxed evening among known and unknown pipe smokers, while everywhere in Amsterdam the football fans celebrated the Europe cup.
June 30 2008: the end of a tradition: the last smoke evening at Arti's, just before the new anti-smoke regulations enter into force on the first of July 2008. Around our table a circle of photographers with flashlight, journalists and Arti-smokers with remarks on the new law. At midnight the last members extinguised their last pipe in public. From now on the APG smokes in the secret!
September 2008: special evening at Schreurs & De Groot bookdealers with a personal intrduction by the owner on his specialisms religion, war and history, followed by quotes on pipesmokers in Dutch literature.
October 2008: the first underground meeting at the charming appartment of our president Anneroos Meyboom including a fundamental discussion on the impact of online auctions.
November 2008: apart from a perfect dinner in one of the canel houses along Keizersgracht we also got an astonishing show-round in a most unexpected back-house of Amsterdam with romantic garden view.
December 2008: traditional end of the year dinner in the Pijpenkabinet, surrounded by the wordwide collection. Discussion on the new program and alternative smoking locations.

January 2009: New Years drinks at one of Amsterdams traditional pubs looking over two canals, a cosy corner incenting personal talks.
February 2009: hosted by Hajenius, the famous Art-Déco smoker's palace with its huge walk-in cigar humidor including a guided tour by Cigar-Master Dick Veenstra.
March 2009: member Steven generously hosted the club with lots of drinks and an ample meal surrounded by hundreds of books and thousands of pewter soldiers.
April 2009: monthly club meeting in a new venue: Café Batavia, Art-Déco facade hiding a nice bar and basement where smoking is permitted.
May 2009: scheduled for the non-participants of excursion, many of the travelers showed up, joining the others in Café Batavia again.
May 2009: group excursion to Milan to enjoy the Italian smoking culture during four days, with visits to the many well-assorted pipe stores, the Castello pipe factory and the famous and awkward pipe museum founded by Alberto Paronelli.
June 2009: this time André hosted the club in his house and garden in Overveen, offering a nice menu and good table conversation. Was it by chance that the table was divided in travelers to Italy and the others? Hopefully it is no sign of a lasting schism.
July 2009: for those who were not on holydays a pleasant evening in the inner garders of the Amsterdam canel house at Herengracht, certainly the most pleasurable place in the Amsterdam canel area.
August 2009: the yearly open pub evening, the press payed so much attention to the event that the Amsterdam pub withdrew their hospitality and the group ended on the terrace of the Minibar along Prinsengracht, a large umbrella kept us dry.
September 2009: a nautical evening on board of the impressing seagoing two master Merilliissa on one of the nicest spots in the heart of the port of Rotterdam.
October 2009: in the series of being guest this time a visit to the residence The Hague in the new appartment of one of our out-of-Amsterdam members.
November 2009: smoke evening in the Pijpenkabinet dedicated to the acquisitions from the famous French SEITA-museum collection purchased by the Amsterdam pipe museum.
December 2009: last meeting of the year in the magnificent Keizersgracht home of one of our members, where everybody gave his or her part in the conversation producing clouds of good smelling smoke.

January 2010: an historical evening at the beginning of a new decennium, the APG is back in Arti & Amicitia on the Rokin, the beautiful building now enlarged with a smoke saloon. It will take some time to accustom.
February 2010: in the Pijpenkabinet museum an evening dedicated to other pipes than smoking pipes: master-organbuilder Frans Brouwer introduced us in the art of building and restoring church organs; memorable was the impressive new vocabulary we learned that evening.
March 2010: excursion to the Niemeyer Tobacco Museum in Groningen, due to the anounced closing of this museum the last opportunity to visit this place; the smoke cafe was the other subject of the day.
April 2010: theme-evening in the Pijpenkabinet museum dedicated to the miraculous medicine called baclofen against alcoholism complete with the unexpected behaviour on the side of the pharmaceutical industry. Introduction by Cees Smook.
May 2010: evening in Arti on the role of the catholic church and the discussion on the sexual abuse of children. Introduction by Henk Baars.
June 2010: again an evening in Arti with a hot discussion on numerous theses between law and society, introduced by Alexander Bloemsma.
July 2010: after ten years the first doubts about the functioning of the board of the Society and the plans to change this.
September 2010: after a Summer reces the members meet again in Arti in clouds of smoke to exchange new experiences.
October 2010: during this Arti evening the decision of the change of board is partly withdrawn: Anneroos Meyboom is reelected president.
November 2010: because the introductor does not turn up the evening at Arti is alternatively filled in by exchanging personal life experiences.
December 2010: the traditional December dinner at Theo van Maaren's place with all the members present, a memorial evening because of the say goodbye to four of the fifteen members.

After ten years of APG-meetings and short reviews of the themes on this webpage, this means of information ends. The Amsterdams Pijprokers Genootschap enters a new phase, as a closed membership club.