Dutch Resistance Museum

Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Dutch Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum) tells the story of the Dutch people in World War II. From 14 May 1940 to 5 May 1945, the Netherlands were occupied by Nazi Germany. The permanent exhibition recreates the atmosphere of the streets of Amsterdam during the German occupation of the World War II. Big photographs, old posters, objects, films and sounds from that horrible time, help to recreate the scene. The background of the Holocaust is visualized to the visitor. This is an exhibition about the everyday life during that time, but also about exceptional historical events, resistance of the population against the Nazis and heroism.

The building bearing the Star of David and the name of Petrus Plancius (1550-1622), the Renaissance Amsterdam clergyman and geographer, was built in 1876 by the Jewish singing society Oefening Baart Kunst. It served for several decades as a Jewish cultural center and synagogue. The Oefening Baart Kunst society kept the Plancius name on its building to underline its respect to the Amsterdam city traditions. That was the name of the old house which stood on this spot before. For a long time Plancius building served in many different functions. Since 1999, after its renovation, it is the seat of the Verzetsmuseum.

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Category: Museums in Netherlands

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4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Paul Bowen (13 months ago)
Fantastic exhibition, however it doesn’t give credit to Eleanor Roosevelt’s contributions to the Declaration of Human Rights in the decolonization conclusion. That was my only con, but the resistance was very broad and only 1/3 of the Dutch collaborators were prosecuted for aiding the German occupation. Fears of racism are still present in Dutch culture. Particularly within law enforcement and fire fighting circles who refuse to answer the cries of help from minority communities. This particular group is called the Brotherhood. Viva La resistance!
Tatsiana Williams (14 months ago)
A very unique and memorable experience! The museum is contemporary made and therefore it's so easy to learn facts on history of the Netherlands. The space is not overcrowded so you can explore the space at your own pace. I can't recommend it more!!!
Jessie Law (15 months ago)
A really informative and interesting museum about WW2, the resistance and colonialism. I liked the focus on individuals’ stories. All available in English, very high tech and interactive (I believe it’s just been renovated). Would highly recommend, I’d say give yourself at least 2 hours to get the most of the experience.
melissa hugh (2 years ago)
We did not have this on our list of places to see, but I recommend everyone go there. We all really absorbed the information and our girls (10 and 11) really learned a lot. The conversation we had during and afterwards was insightful and reflective. The museum does a fantastic job with a junior area, our girls worked through the workbooks and followed the 4 lives of kids during that time. We all learned tons. Recommend giving yourself about 1.5 hours to cover it all.
Márcia Quintela Viana (2 years ago)
A really nice museum, I wasn't expecting to have so much to learn. I read somewhere you could easily visit it in 2 hours but I'd say something between 3/4 hours is the ideal. We couldn't see everything as much as we'd like because of it. It has a lot of interactive points. Can only recommend it!
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