The best museums Haarlem

This museum, the oldest in the Netherlands, is housed in a private mansion built by the Teyler family in 1780. Founded at the end of the 18th century and financed by Peter Teyler van der Hulst, a wealthy merchant from Haarlem, it was originally dedicated to science and technology. In addition to a science section and a natural history section, there is a superb collection of drawings, engravings and etchings. Nothing seems to have changed since its foundation, as the presentation mode seems so old-fashioned, which still contributes to its charm and changes us from all the museums that are too didactic.

We will therefore see the display cases of fossils, skulls and jaws of prehistoric animals still as impressive as ever, many scientific tools that seem archaic to us but which were no less witnesses, if not actors, of the advent of optics or electricity, devices that seem to have come straight out of the crazy imagination of some professor Sunflower. All this may remind you of the biology rooms of 19th century Parisian high schools where naturalist frescoes and various scientific objects give the courses a taste of erudition. Finally, a graphic collection, presented on a rotating basis, displays the drawings of Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Raphael and Watteau. A wing, opened more recently, has temporary exhibitions. The programming is always very interesting and designed to interest, and even please children. A very pleasant visit.

Located in a cellar under the Vleeshal, the Archaeology Museum presents the results of excavations carried out in Haarlem. Recently renovated building specially designed for children and which will please them, with the exhibits well placed at height. A museum that can be visited while passing by, a dive into the history of the city, nice but nothing more. So come quickly with your family or not, take a quick look at it and continue on to Saint Bavo or the Frans Hals Museum, which will certainly captivate you in a lasting way.