Museum Hofland

About the museum

The roots lie in the Laren branch of the adult-education and nature-lovers' association NIVON (founded 1957), in which a working group for amateur geology formed in 1963. The amateur geologist Lucas Hofland bequeathed his collection of erratic boulders to the municipality of Laren after his death in 1969. An exhibition for Koninginnedag week in 1967 had previously awakened the wish for a permanent museum; on 19 April 1972 the foundation Stichting Geologisch Museum Hofland was established, and the museum first moved into an old farmhouse on the Zevenend.

Since 1 April 1988 it has been located in its present building on the Hilversumseweg, a toll house that the municipalities of Laren and Hilversum built on their border in 1853 to recoup the costs of road paving. Since 1999 the museum has been listed in the register of the Netherlands Museum Association, and in 2006 a new wing was added with a large exhibition space and a lower level for lectures and storage.

The permanent exhibitions explain minerals, the rock cycle, the history of life on Earth and the settlement of Het Gooi; there is also a reconstructed prehistoric cave and a temporary exhibition every year and a half. In the rock garden lie around 70 tonnes of erratic boulders from the Ice Age.

Highlights

• Rock garden with around 70 tonnes of Ice Age erratic boulders
• Mineral collection with fluorescent pieces under UV light
• Reconstructed prehistoric cave
• Interactive mural on the rock cycle with a magnifying glass for discovery
• Exhibition "Goois verleden" with finds from the prehistory and early history of Het Gooi
• Geode sawing in the studio (Wednesdays and Sundays)

Permanent exhibitions

• Goois verleden – Shows geological, palaeontological and archaeological finds as well as the landscape history of Het Gooi, including Neanderthal tools, a Bronze Age axe and urns from the Middle Bronze Age.
• Geschiedenis van het leven op aarde – Display cases with dioramas and fossils guide visitors through the geological ages; maps show the changing positions of the continents.
• Mineralen – Systematically arranged mineral collection with a cabinet of fluorescent pieces that light up under UV light.

Founded

1972

Operated by

Stichting Geologisch Museum Hofland

Admission & discounts

Free with the Museumkaart (physical card or app) and for Friends of the Museum (Vriendenpas). Special rates apply for schools with learning programmes. No admission is needed to visit the museum shop only.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

On the first Sunday of the month there are creative children's activities (ages 6 and over, 1–3:30 p.m., no registration, €1.50 cost of materials). Geodes can be sawn on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons and on the first Saturday of the month. Children's birthday parties ("Geo-partijtjes") are possible.

Getting there & parking

Satnav address: Hilversumseweg 51, Laren. The museum is next to the St. Janskerkhof on the Gooise Stuwwal, at the edge of heathland.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop at the reception desk with fossils, mineralogical objects, toys and books.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit