Museum Nijkerk
Local history museum in a late medieval inn in Nijkerk, with a Kijkdepot, a room on the Westerborkpad and a collection on crafts and architecture.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Museum Nijkerk is devoted to the history of the medieval town of Nijkerk on the edge of the Veluwe and the former Zuiderzee. Behind the museum stands the Stichting Oud Nijkerk, founded in 1968 to preserve the town's collection, museum and cultural heritage. The museum was first housed on the Holkerstraat.
In 2015 it moved to its current building on the Venestraat, opposite the Grote Kerk. The foundation had bought the listed late medieval inn in 2013 and then converted it comprehensively. The house has four floors; an elevator connects them, and magnetic picture panels showing street scenes, people and maps from the town's history hang in its shaft.
The collection focuses on crafts, architecture and regional history. Special highlights include glassware from the Nijkerk glassworks Padang, which operated between 1765 and 1814, traces of the former tobacco trade, clay pipes unearthed in the town, and the largest collection of used books from the Nijkerk publisher Callenbach in the country, with more than 4,500 copies. Since 2017 there has been a room on the Westerborkpad, a long-distance hiking trail commemorating the persecution of Jews, whose route passes through Nijkerk. The collection is being made digitally accessible via Collectie Gelderland.
Highlights
- Permanent exhibition “Nijkerk, stad vol historie” on the history of the medieval town
- Room on the Westerborkpad with the archive of initiator Jan Dokter
- Kijkdepot, where visitors may open drawers and rummage through cabinets
- Collection on the Callenbach publisher and the Nijkerk Padang glassworks
- Elevator-shaft exhibition with historic street scenes
- Listed late medieval inn opposite the Grote Kerk
Permanent exhibitions
- Nijkerk, stad vol historie – The permanent exhibition tells the story of a medieval town on the edge of the Veluwe and the former Zuiderzee.
- Westerborkpad – A room on the long-distance trail devoted to the persecution of Jews, with films, photos and documents from Jan Dokter's archive.
- Kijkdepot – An open display depot where visitors can open drawers and cabinet doors and discover everyday objects.
- Founded
- 1968
- Operated by
- Stichting Oud Nijkerk
- Director
- Edith de Jong
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8.50 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 12 · Children up to and including 12 years old enter free. |
| Students & apprentices | €3.50 |
Free for Museumkaart holders, Vriend members of the museum, children up to 12 years old, and secondary school pupils with a class assignment. Payment by card or cash. The Museumkaart can also be ordered through the museum.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- 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 the website, the museum is accessible for people with disabilities (elevator, accessible toilet).
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 12 |
|---|
- Hands-on stations
In the Kijkdepot, visitors can open drawers and discover everyday objects from recent history.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Bahnhof Nijkerk · 11-min walk
On foot from Nijkerk train and bus station via Spoorstraat, Kleterstraat and Langestraat.
By car
Paid parking
Parking in the town center is paid (according to the website in 2024: €0.90 per hour). Nearby parking includes the Stadspark and the Wheemplein.
Amenities & dining
- Museum shop
The museum shop can be visited without an admission ticket and sells books on Nijkerk's cultural history, gifts and arrangements for outings.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The museum offers town tours, culinary walks and guided tours by local guides. An online 360° tour of the building is available. For primary schools there are four learning programs (including “Op avontuur met Gijsbertus Vedder”, “Op reis met Arend van Curler” and “De oorlog dichtbij huis”) and 50 learning cards on the Nijkerk Canon. |
