Stand at the Fence Where Children Were Passed to Safety
You arrive on Plantage Middenlaan, in the old Jewish neighbourhood of Amsterdam, and step into a former teacher training college — the Hervormde Kweekschool. The building's history is the reason you are here. During the war, the Nazis used the kindergarten next door as a deportation site for Jewish children. Henriëtte Pimentel, the director, helped hundreds escape, often through the college itself. The fence over which children were passed from the kindergarten to resistance members still stands — the start of their rescue. You can see it. You can stand beside it.
Follow the Story of Persecution Across the Entire Netherlands
Inside, the Nationaal Holocaustmuseum tells the story of the Nazi persecution and murder of Jews in the Netherlands — the first and only museum to cover that history across the whole country. The permanent display leads you through the day-to-day life of Jews on the eve of the Second World War, the persecution and murder during the occupation, liberation as experienced by Jews, and how the Holocaust has been treated in Dutch national remembrance culture. The museum examines how the Holocaust could happen, who the victims and perpetrators were, and themes of remembrance and prevention. The content is aimed at adults and children aged 10 and above. A podcast, Forget me not, tells the stories of six individuals — Rosa, Chaja, George, Klaartje, Siem and Leny — through six personal objects, spanning the years before the war, the occupation, and after liberation.
Cross the Street to the Hollandsche Schouwburg
Directly across the street stands the former Hollandsche Schouwburg theatre, where 46,000 Jewish people were held before deportation to camps. It is now a memorial. Its wall displays "drops," each with a photograph and audible personal stories. Your visit to the museum is part of the Joods Cultureel Kwartier — the Jewish Cultural Quarter — which comprises four historic locations within roughly one square kilometre: the Jewish Museum, Jewish Museum Junior, the Portuguese Synagogue, the Hollandsche Schouwburg, and the National Holocaust Museum. The Quarter's collection covers Jewish history and heritage in Amsterdam from 1600 to the present. A combined ticket gives you access to all locations for €10 extra.
Plan Your Visit
The museum is at Plantage Middenlaan 27 and is open every day, 10am to 5pm. If you hold an Amsterdam City Card, no time-slot reservation is required, but the card must be valid at the time of your visit. The museum opened on 10 March 2024, inaugurated by King Willem-Alexander, eight decades after the Second World War. General director Emile Schrijver has said the museum aims to give the Holocaust a place in Dutch collective memory and to preserve survivors' history for future generations. Salo Muller, who was smuggled through the creche as a three-year-old, has spoken of the museum's importance for non-Jewish visitors. Before the war, Jews and non-Jews in the Netherlands lived side by side with equal rights. During the war, the Nazis and their collaborators killed around six million Jews in Europe. In the Netherlands, around 102,000 of the Dutch Jewish population — three-quarters — were killed, the highest proportion in western Europe.
Set aside an afternoon. Walk from the museum to the Hollandsche Schouwburg, stand at the fence, and let the weight of what happened here settle. The Jewish Cultural Quarter is compact, and the story it tells is one you carry with you. Begin with the museum's website, book your ticket, and give yourself the time this place deserves.