Discover 4 Must-Visit Amsterdam Museums on World War II

Occupied by Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1945, the Netherlands was at the forefront of World War II. As such, these Amsterdam museums chronicle the ways in which the city and the country dealt with the war, its atrocities, and its end.

Dutch Resistance Museum

Plantage Kerklaan 61
Location: Plantagebuurt

This repeat earner of “Best Historical Museum in the Netherlands” offers visitors an in-depth view of how the Dutch resisted the oppression brought by German occupation during World War II through strikes, protests, forgery, and hiding the persecuted. Housed in a former 19th-century Jewish social club, the collection enlightens visitors on life in Amsterdam and the Netherlands before, during, and after the war with impressive recreations of street scenes and building interiors.

Anne Frank House

Prinsengracht 267
Location: Prinsengracht (Prince’s Canal)

At this location, see where Anne Frank penned her now world-famous diary, which tells the story of a young Jewish girl in hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam in World War II. Viewing the secret annex and many other rooms in this restored canal house is a deeply moving experience and well worth enduring the ever-present crowds. Therefore, it’s advisable to avoid lines by visiting early or late in the day.

Hollandsche Schouwburg (Dutch Theater)

Plantage Middenlaan 24
Location: Plantagebuurt

This building in the Plantage/Jewish Quarter area of Amsterdam has a sadly contradictory history. Initially opened in 1892 as a theater for the Jewish community, it transformed into a deportation center for Jews in 1942. Here, Jewish men, women, and children awaited transfer to a transit camp in Holland and subsequently to Nazi death camps. The memorial features a courtyard with an eternal flame and a permanent exhibition.

Jewish Historical Museum

Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1
Location: Plantagebuurt

While not exclusively a World War II history museum, the Jewish Historical Museum provides invaluable insight into this significant historical period. The museum explores Jewish history from 1600 to the present, with a particular focus on the Dutch Jewish community, which peaked at 75,000 individuals. The permanent exhibits revisit the catastrophic events of World War II and the Holocaust, offering a glance into daily life during this era, while tracing the recovery of the Jewish population in Amsterdam, which currently stands at around 15,000.

Edited by Kristen de Joseph.