Mara Hari was Born in Leeuwarden

Mata Hari was born in Leeuwarden as Margaretha Geertruida Zelle in 1876. She became a famous dance-hostess in Paris during World War I and was executed for espionage in 1917. The Fries Museum has some of her scrap books as well as her dance costumes, one of which is seen here.

The costume consisted of the head piece with the extensions that covered her ears and the breast plates that attached in some mysterious way.  Mata Hari sometimes wore a body stocking but was also known to perform without the stocking.  She performed with numerous veils that wound around and were removed to reveal her entire body.

She remains a controversial figure in Fryslan with some believing she was a prostitute who rightly was put to death after spying for the Germans in Paris.  Others believe she was a woman forced to support herself after her husband divorced her and obtained custody of her children.  They believe her exotic dancing was an art form that rightfully made her rich and famous.  They also claim that she was wrongfully accused of spying and her death by firing squad was a travesty.  It’s likely she was all of these things and was probably more opportunistic than evil.  She seems to have spied for both the Germans and the French, but rather poorly, coming up with not many secrets and nothing of strategic importance.  There’s no question that she used her body to make a living and was probably executed as much for being a slut with the German officers as she was for being a spy.