Museum about 400 years of imprisonment in the Netherlands and the history of the Veenhuizen colony – with cells, a prison bus and a guided tour of a prison.
til 31. december 2026
Exhibition running since January 2025 about descendants of Dutch collaborators and the silence within families, with poems by Boris Wanders, whose grandfather was imprisoned in Veenhuizen after the war, and photographs by Judith Lechner; extended until the end of 2026.
Veenhuizen was established from 1823 as a colony of the Maatschappij van Weldadigheid (Society of Benevolence), which housed orphans, beggars and vagrants in three large institutional buildings here and trained them to work. What began as voluntary welfare increasingly became a forced labor and penal institution after the state took over in 1859; until the 1980s, Veenhuizen was a closed prison village, and several correctional facilities still operate there today. Since 2021, the Colonies of Benevolence have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The first prison museum opened in 1975 as the private initiative of a prison official who had spent decades collecting objects related to local history. In 2005 the museum moved, as the Nationaal Gevangenismuseum, into the renovated "Tweede Gesticht" of 1823, the only surviving one of the three original institutional buildings. This broadened its scope from village history to the entire history of crime and punishment in the Netherlands since around 1600.
Today the museum tells two intertwined stories: the development of custodial sentences from the dungeon to the modern cell, and Veenhuizen's path from pauper colony to prison village. Visitors can step into cells and sleeping cages, sit in the judge's chair and ride through the village in a historic prisoner transport vehicle. Guided tours of the former De Rode Pannen prison and the old power station are also offered. Around 112,000 visitors came in 2025; a new permanent exhibition on Veenhuizen is set to open at the end of 2026 after a renovation.
| Voksne | 15 € |
|---|---|
| Nedsat pris | 12,50 €CJP cardholders and staff of the Dienst Justitiële Inrichtingen (DJI, Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency) |
| Børn og unge | 7,50 €gratis til og med 4 år · Children up to age 4 free, ages 5–12 €7.50; full price from age 13. |
| Pensionister | –No senior discount listed. |
| Personer med handicap | –ledsager gratis · One companion of visitors who cannot move around the museum independently is admitted free with an OV-Begeleiderskaart (public transport companion card) or Autipas (can be booked online as a free ticket). |
| Studerende og elever | –No separate student discount listed; CJP cardholders pay €12.50. |
| Grupper (fra 15 pers.) | 12,50 € pr. personPer person for groups of 15 or more; guide €85 (max. 20 people per guide), also available as a guide on your own bus. Book at least 14 days in advance. |
| Ride on the Boevenbus | 4 €Approx. 30 minutes; children up to age 2 ride free on a lap. |
| Guided tour of De Rode Pannen prison | 3 €Approx. 30–45 minutes, recommended from age 8. |
| Museum guided tour | 5,50 €Approx. 60 minutes, weekdays, max. 15 people; plus admission. |
| Audio tour "Het Pauperparadijs" | 7,50 € |
| Package "Van Tralies naar Terras" (admission, drink, cake, walking map) | 19,95 €Children ages 5–12 €12.95. |
| Package "Lunch, Landlopers en Landschap" (admission, lunch, walking map) | 24,95 €Children ages 5–12 €19. |
| Combination ticket with Museum De Proefkolonie | 25 €Children ages 5–12 €12.50. |
Free with the Museumkaart and VriendenLoterij VIP card (not valid for combination and package tickets; one ticket per card). The Museumkaart is available at the desk and can be used immediately. Prices valid for 2026; regular admission tickets are valid for the entire calendar year. Online booking is recommended for the Boevenbus and De Rode Pannen (on sale from about 14 days in advance).
Exhibition rooms, restaurant, cell block and De Rode Pannen are accessible with a wheelchair and rollator; however, there are cobblestones around the entrance and on the village streets. Accessible restrooms at the cloakroom and the restaurant, accessible parking spaces in the museum parking lot (about a 5-minute walk to the entrance; brief stops at the entrance for drop-off are possible). Loaner wheelchairs (shopping cart coin needed, cannot be reserved) and folding stools. Videos are subtitled. Low-stimulus visits on request on a Monday when the museum is otherwise closed. The Boevenbus can be used by those able to manage one step.
Velegnet til børn og familier
| Besøgets varighed | ca. 2 t. |
|---|---|
| Entré for børn | gratis til og med 4 år |
Children can go into cells and isolation cells and try on handcuffs. Scavenger hunts: "Lange Leo" for ages 4 to 6 with (grand)parents, "De Vloek van Veenhuizen" for ages 7 to 12 and the smartphone rally "Kraak de Code" from age 9. During every school holiday, the "Boevenbus Kids" runs at least twice a day for ages 4 to 12; the content of the regular bus tour is best understood from around age 13, De Rode Pannen from age 8. Climbing "Bajes" (jail) in the inner courtyard, bookable children's birthday parties, baby changing tables in the women's restroom and in the accessible restroom by the restaurant.
Generaal van den Boschweg · 10 min. til fods
Bus to the Generaal van den Boschweg stop in Veenhuizen, then about a 10-minute walk (connections via 9292.nl).
Gratis parkering · 5 min. til fods til indgangen
Large free museum parking lot on the Laan van Weldadigheid (GPS destination).
Via the A28, exit 33 (Assen-West/Smilde/Norg), toward Norg, then turn off toward Veenhuizen; signposted. From the Drachten direction via the N381/N919 via Oosterwolde. Due to the renewal of the Norgerbrug, the N373 (Norgervaart) is currently closed; detour via Norg, Donderen and Vries. Bike racks opposite the main entrance and at the rear entrance, four free e-bike charging points.
Planlæg ruteÀ la carte restaurant "Het Tweede Gesticht" with terrace (also accessible without admission; group menus and buffets); museum shop "De Bajesklant." Bags larger than A4 and umbrellas go in the free lockers in the cloakroom. Free e-bike charging points at the rear entrance.
Two equipped meeting rooms and an auditorium (projector, sound, internet) as well as the inner courtyard; for conferences, training sessions, receptions, lectures, parties, company outings and family reunions, also with catering and program modules (guided tour, Boevenbus, prison visit).
Forespørgsel & detaljer| Rundvisninger | ja · varighed ca. 60 min. |
|---|---|
| Audioguide | nej |
| Tilbud til skoler | ja |
| Fotografering | Photography and filming for private use permitted, without lighting, tripods or accessories and only with handheld devices. |
| Godt at vide | According to the museum, a visit takes 2 hours on average, and at least half a day with the Boevenbus and/or De Rode Pannen. Museum guided tours (approx. 60 min.) on weekdays, usually not during school holidays or on public holidays. Boevenbus rides (approx. 30 min.) when the museum is open and the weather permits; De Rode Pannen daily with a guided tour (30–45 min.), canceled during film shoots. Check in at the ticket desk 15 minutes before the start. For the special exhibition On/t/schuld, there is a free audio tour via QR code on your own smartphone. School programs for primary and secondary schools as well as talks by former prisoners. Dogs only on a leash in the inner courtyard, not in the museum. |
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