Internationaal Museum voor Familiegeschiedenis

About the museum

The Internationaal Museum voor Familiegeschiedenis opened in 2014, after the Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn-Khosrovani and Zwart-Khosrovani families had acquired the convent complex on Breusterstraat the year before. It is run by a foundation of the same name whose board, management and curatorial team work unpaid. To the public, the museum usually goes by the name Museum Het Ursulinenconvent.

The building has a long history in education: Ursuline nuns settled in Eijsden in 1849, founded a girls' school and boarding school a few years later and expanded the complex over the course of the 19th century. Today's main building in the Neo-Renaissance style was built in 1899 to plans by Johannes Kayser, with Pierre Cuypers contributing to the facade. After the convent was dissolved in 1973, the complex served from the 1980s as the town hall of the then municipality of Eijsden. The ensemble includes a small park with a Lourdes grotto, a cemetery and a chapel.

The museum covers a wide range of topics: from the spread of humans out of Africa to genetic kinship and family tree research, heraldry, family customs and Europe's dynastic lines. One section commemorates the Eijsden-born physician and paleontologist Eugène Dubois, who found remains of Homo erectus on Java. The Charlemagne Pavilion vividly illustrates why almost all Europeans can claim the Frankish ruler as an ancestor. Other collections feature African tribal art, Provençal nativity figures, a 19th-century pharmacy and the history of the Ursuline order.

Highlights

• Former Ursuline convent with main building from 1899 (Johannes Kayser, facade with contributions by Pierre Cuypers)
• Section on Eijsden-born Eugène Dubois, discoverer of Java Man
• Charlemagne Pavilion with a family tree tracing the descendants of the Frankish emperor
• Themed rooms on DNA, genealogy and heraldry
• Santons from Provence, African tribal art and a 19th-century pharmacy
• Room on the history of the Ursulines in Eijsden

Permanent exhibitions

• De reizende mens – Tour covering the spread of humans from Africa across the whole globe, genetic kinship and how families express their identity through language, law, coats of arms and faith.
• Karel de Grote paviljoen – Pavilion explaining why not only European royal houses but almost all Europeans can count Charlemagne among their ancestors; complemented by a scene with Provençal santons.
• Geschiedenis van de Ursulinen – Dedicated room on the history of the Ursuline order and the former convent with its girls' boarding school in Eijsden.

Founded

2014

Operated by

Stichting Internationaal Museum voor Familiegeschiedenis

Director

Leo A. F. Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn (algemeen directeur)

Admission & discounts

Discounts for seniors, students or groups, as well as participation in the Museumkaart scheme, are not mentioned on the website.

Accessibility

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

According to Visit Zuid-Limburg, wheelchair-accessible with dedicated facilities for wheelchair users; the museum itself provides no details.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

The Junior Museum is a dedicated section for children and school classes; children up to and including age 3 are admitted free.

Getting there & parking

Free parking and an e-bike charging point, according to Visit Zuid-Limburg.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with VVV tourist information point (books and regional products). Breuster Brouwers brews beer in the building's cellar.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit