Montessori and Nienhuis

The Historical Connection between Maria Montessori and Nienhuis

Maria Montessori’s connection with the Netherlands goes all the way back to 1914 when Jo Vosmaer-Werker (later Jo Prins-Werker) took Montessori’s course in Rome. On the 12th of March that year Maria Montessori gave her first lecture in The Netherlands, organised by the Association of Pedagogical Lectures. She later visited the Netherlands again in 1920 and, while visiting Montessori classrooms there, was very enthusiastic about the materials made by Mr. Albert Nienhuis.

Albert Nienhuis was born on the 2nd of November 1895 in Groningen, in the north of The Netherlands. He had 4 sisters and 6 brothers and was the 6th child in the family. In 1918 he married Harmina Westers and they had 2 sons, Jan and Henk. Albert was a man with many talents. In the difficult economic circumstances of the 1920s he accepted every job he could possibly do: painting, servant in a shop, door-to-door sales, trader and furniture maker. He was sawing puzzles, making key rings and many other things. Eventually he became a carpenter, merely because Maria Montessori crossed his path while she visited the first Montessori kindergarten in The Hague, the governmental city of The Netherlands. At that time it was Albert Nienhuis who was asked by the Montessori Educational Equipment Company (Montessori Leermiddelenhuis), owned by Mr. Tromp, to make materials for Montessori Education. Another group of enthusiastic Dutch Montessorians also approached Albert to make Montessori materials.

In the years of crisis, it was really very difficult to earn a living, despite the fact that he could make Montessori materials. Later on, this became a bit easier and in 1929 he had enough work making Montessori materials to build a company around: Nienhuis Montessori was officially founded. Maybe this wasn’t a coincidence, as the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) was also founded in the same year. A long lasting relationship was born between Maria Montessori and Nienhuis.

After Maria Montessori passed away, AMI started working on the AMI blueprints in which all specifications of the Montessori materials were to be prescribed. Until today, Nienhuis Montessori is one of the manufacturers that may claim to be officially approved and authorised by AMI.

In 1964 Nienhuis moved to Zelhem, in the East of The Netherlands. This was the area where one could find a lot of skilled machine woodworkers. On top of this Zelhem was located close to the German border. Both Germany and The Netherlands could be served in the best possible way from here.

In 1975 Nienhuis opened up another sales office int the USA, in Mountain View, California. For many years it was ran by the Kenison family, a well known family in the US Montessori scene.

Due to a change in the economic landscape in Europe, Nienhuis opened up another factory in Sri Lanka in 1995, and, since 2009, all Nienhuis materials are made in this factory. The Nienhuis factory is certified by the ISO 9001- Quality Management System Standard and the ISO 14001- Environmental Management System Standard. It is almost off grid (running fully on solar energy) and is close to being zero landfill. The ICTI program focusses on safe work environments, ensuring that workers are treated fairly with respect and dignity and that factories operate ethically. It also draws on conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and other initiatives to promote fair labour practices.

In 2022 the Nienhuis Headquarters moved to Nijverdal, another small city in the East of The Netherlands. In this modern facility one can find a beautiful museum with very old Montessori materials, a timeline of Montessori’s life and some of her personal belongings.

Ever since the Montessori method started growing internationally, Nienhuis has always been present with a display of all its beautiful Montessori materials during Montessori courses and events. This is how Nienhuis grew together with Montessori and AMI to share a very precious legacy.