Historisch Museum Wolfheze

About the museum

In 1906, a Christian association for the care of the mentally ill acquired a woodland estate of around 86 hectares near Wolfheze and built a psychiatric hospital there. This institution, later known as the Algemeen Psychiatrisch Ziekenhuis (APZ), gave rise to today's Pro Persona. People have been treated for psychiatric conditions in Wolfheze for more than a hundred years.

The museum tells the story of this clinic and its grounds. It is housed in a former barracks for infectious diseases on the clinic site. With photographs, films, equipment, instruments, books and reports, it shows who worked or was treated here and which therapies were common in earlier times.

The themes range from bath and bed treatment, the introduction of occupational therapy and the development of medication to the war years with the British bombing raid of 1944, the anti-psychiatry movement of the 1970s and the opening up of psychiatry to society today. Objects include a genuine electroshock machine, nursing uniforms and a paraffin lamp from the time when electricity was too expensive for the building. In a separate room, a library collects annual reports, medical journals, staff records and books on the history of Dutch psychiatry. The museum works with museums and archives in the region and is affiliated with Erfgoed Gelderland.

Highlights

• Genuine electroshock machine and other historical treatment equipment
• Nursing uniforms, paraffin lamp and restraint items from the clinic's early days
• Themes from bath and bed treatment to community psychiatry
• The 1944 bombing and the anti-psychiatry movement of the 1970s
• Museum library on the history of Dutch psychiatry
• Free admission during opening hours

Permanent exhibition

• Geschichte der Psychiatrie in Wolfheze – Photographs, films, medical equipment, instruments and everyday objects show how the treatment of the mentally ill in Wolfheze has changed over a century.

Operated by

Pro Persona

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free during regular opening hours; for visits outside these times, the museum asks for a small contribution.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum is located on the grounds of the former institution in Wolfheze, which are home to several Pro Persona buildings; the website offers directions with a site map.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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