VERZETSMUSEUM - MUSEUM OF RESISTANCE

The Resistance Museum traces the history of the Dutch population during the Second World War. From May 1940 to 1945, the Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany. The population was faced with many dilemmas and choices. How did the Dutch react? Who joined the Resistance? Why, and how? A set of streets recreated by wall photos recalls the atmosphere of the war years. Authentic objects, photos, documents, films and recordings tell the story of the Dutch people during the war years. Some stories illustrate everyday life, others exceptional situations

The permanent exhibition
The Museum of the Resistance has been declared "the best historical museum in the Netherlands" by the prestigious magazine Historisch Nieuwsblad. The permanent exhibition is dedicated to the Dutch Resistance during the occupation by Nazi Germany, from 1940 to 1945.

Part of the museum traces the history of the Dutch East Indies, a former Dutch colony (now Indonesia) where the population suffered greatly under the yoke of the Japanese invasion.

Daily life
The museum doesn't just focus on the Resistance, but also gives visitors a glimpse of what daily life was like under the occupation. It shows how the Resistance gained momentum in an increasingly tense atmosphere.
The eyelets
The main itinerary offers an overall picture of Dutch life under occupation. Niches are devoted to specific population groups or themes.

An early visit gives a glimpse of the Netherlands under occupation. Visitors wishing to know more can look through the eyelets, open panels and drawers. You'll literally have to keep your eyes peeled and your nose to the grindstone to discover what was going on underground at the time.

No heroes, no "good guys", no "bad guys
Our aim is not to highlight the names of eminent Resistance fighters or the highlights of the Resistance, but to show how the Dutch people as a whole reacted to the occupation. The aim here is not to point out the good guys or the bad guys, but to show how the average citizen, during this period of deprivation and oppression, found himself confronted with certain dilemmas and was forced to make choices.
The dilemmas
A series of moving, sometimes heart-rending, stories give visitors an idea of the dilemmas and choices faced by people during wartime. The main alternatives are presented in the form of questions projected onto the floor. In 1940, when the Germans seemed all-powerful and behaved correctly towards the population, the questions were: "Should we adapt? and "Should we cooperate? When the occupiers tightened their grip on Dutch society, should they join the Nazi party, go on strike, boycott? When the 120,000 Dutch Jews were first isolated and then deported, did other Dutch people have the courage to come to their aid? There were two opposing parties: the Nederlandse Unie (Dutch Union) and the NSB, the Dutch National Socialist Party. The question "How can we cooperate? The former is ready to cooperate with the German occupiers, but for a completely different purpose than the NSB.

The Resistance
All forms of resistance are reviewed: protest strikes, document falsification, aid to underground workers, the underground press, armed resistance and espionage.