Kazerne Dossin

About the museum

The Dossin barracks were built in 1756 on the orders of Empress Maria Theresa to house Austrian soldiers. Until 1940 it had a purely military function. Between July 1942 and September 1944 the barracks served as an assembly camp, the Sammellager, from which 25,490 Jews and 353 Roma and Sinti were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau on 28 transports. Its location between Antwerp and Brussels, the railway line beside the barracks and its enclosed structure made it suitable for this purpose.

After the war the building returned to the Belgian state, which housed a military training school there and later an administrative centre. In 1948 a memorial plaque was placed on the façade, and since 1956 there has been an annual commemoration. The barracks fell into disrepair after 1975, was eventually protected and later converted into apartments. In 1996 the Joods Museum van Deportatie en Verzet opened its doors, the forerunner of the present museum.

For a larger museum the Flemish government had a new building designed by architect bOb Van Reeth, opposite the barracks. It was inaugurated in 2012 and opened to the public on 1 December 2012. The Memorial was set up in the right wing of the old barracks and reopened in 2020 after renewal.

The permanent exhibition tells the persecution of Jews, Roma and Sinti in Belgium during the Second World War and also addresses human rights and other forms of exclusion and mass violence. On every floor hangs a wall of portraits with the faces or silhouettes of the 25,843 people deported from the barracks.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition on the persecution of Jews, Roma and Sinti in Belgium
• Portrait wall with the 25,843 people who were deported
• Memorial in the old Dossin barracks, free to visit
• Museum building by architect bOb Van Reeth, with walled-up windows facing the barracks
• Children's route “Simon vertelt” for children aged 8 to 12

Permanent exhibitions

• Permanente tentoonstelling – The exhibition follows the persecution of Jews, Roma and Sinti in Belgium during the Second World War and explores the mechanisms of exclusion and mass violence.
• Memoriaal – In the old Dossin barracks a quiet place of remembrance and commemoration has been created for those who were deported.

Founded

2012

Director

Veerle Vanden Daelen

Admission & discounts

The Memorial in the old barracks is free. Free admission for carers of people with a disability, ICOM members, press, holders of the Riebedebie pass and the Museumpas. With the NMBS Discovery Ticket you get 40% off the train journey when buying a ticket for the permanent exhibition.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Thanks to wide passageways the entire route is accessible; there are lifts in the Memorial and in the museum. Wheelchair-accessible toilets are on floors -1 and +3. Folding seats are available on every floor, and wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge (booking is advised, at least five days in advance). The detection gates at the entrance are 82 cm wide; there is also a wider exit. The route can also be followed in Belgian French Sign Language (booking recommended), and the introductory film has subtitles in Dutch, French and English. Guide dogs are welcome; the carer enters free.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 9+

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

The museum is recommended from age 9. Children aged 8 to 12 can follow the children's route “Simon vertelt” with (grand)parents: a two-hour treasure hunt with boxes in the museum, in Dutch or French.

Getting there & parking

By car: E19, exit 9 Mechelen-Noord, then the N16 and the P-route to car park Tinel. There is ample bicycle parking.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

The museum has no museum café and no lunch room. In the cloakroom you can store your belongings in a free locker; for groups there are group lockers. The museum shop offers professional literature, novels, children's and young adult books, and small souvenirs.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 120 guests.

Available for hire are, among others, the auditorium (80 people), the panorama room with roof terrace (120 people) and two meeting rooms (25 people). Information via evenementen@kazernedossin.eu.

Plan your visit