The National Holocaust Museum tells the story of the persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands. It shows how Jews and non-Jews lived side by side with equal rights before the war, and how the Nazi occupation led to systematic persecution and murder: three quarters of the Jewish population of the Netherlands were killed, and around six million Jews were murdered across Europe in the Holocaust (Shoah).
The collection of around 2,500 objects, rediscovered photos and films, sound recordings and documents gives the victims a recognisable face. The museum also covers Jewish life before the war, liberation from a Jewish Dutch perspective and how the Holocaust is remembered.
The museum is in the former Reformed Teacher Training College. During the war, the crèche next door was used to hold Jewish children before deportation; its director Henriëtte Pimentel helped hundreds of children escape, partly through this building. The museum is part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter, opposite the Hollandsche Schouwburg.
Practical information
- Address Plantage Middenlaan, Amsterdam