Memorial and museum on the site of the former Herzogenbusch concentration camp in Vught – with crematorium, reconstructed barrack and Children's Monument.
October 16, 2026 – May 30, 2027
Traveling exhibition by the Museum van de Geest about psychiatric patients, people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers in the Netherlands and Germany during World War II; with an audio tour by Splinter Chabot.
Kamp Vught – officially Konzentrationslager Herzogenbusch – was built from the summer of 1942 near the De IJzeren Man swimming lake south of ’s-Hertogenbosch. Until it was evacuated in early September 1944, some 32,000 people from 36 nations were imprisoned here, including Jews, resistance fighters and hostages. For about 12,000 Jewish prisoners, Vught was a transit station on the way to the extermination camps; in June 1943 almost 1,300 children were deported with their parents to Sobibor and murdered there. About 750 prisoners died in the camp itself from execution, disease or exhaustion.
After the liberation the site served as an internment camp for suspected collaborators, as housing for German evacuees and, from 1951, as a residential camp for Moluccan KNIL soldiers and their families; parts were taken over by the Ministries of Defense and Justice. At the urging of former prisoners, the municipality of Vught set up a foundation in 1986, and on April 18, 1990, Queen Beatrix opened the memorial center. It was renovated and expanded in 2002; in 2013 an exhibition on the postwar history was added in Barrack 1B, the last surviving barrack; and in 2016 the museum won the BankGiro Loterij Museumprijs.
In 2019 the permanent exhibition was completely redesigned and supplemented with classrooms and an auditorium. The tour includes parts of the former camp grounds with reconstructed watchtowers, half of a rebuilt prisoners' barrack, the Children's Monument and the authentic crematorium. In 2025 the site welcomed more than 100,000 visitors for the first time, including around 32,000 students; the work is carried out by a small team and about 150 volunteers.
| Adults | €12 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €6Ages 10–17: €6; children under 10 with the junior audio tour also €6. The museum is intended for children aged 10 and up. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · Companions of wheelchair users and of deaf, hard-of-hearing and visually impaired visitors free on request (let the ticket desk know). |
| Groups | €5.50 per personGuided tour of the outdoor grounds €85 (75 minutes, max. 25 people) plus an admission surcharge of €5.50 per person; the surcharge is waived with the Museumkaart and for uniformed services, surviving dependents' and veterans' associations. Youth groups (e.g., scouts) €60. Packages with coffee, cake or lunch in the museum café can be booked. |
| Evening guided tour of the camp grounds (groups from 17:00) | €10Per person, starting between 17:00 and 19:00, 10 to 25 participants. |
Combination ticket for the main building and Barak 1B, including site map and audio tour. Free with the Museumkaart, as well as with a VriendenLoterij VIP card, Veteranenpas and Postactievenpas; the Rembrandtkaart and ICOM card are not accepted. Payment by debit or credit card only. Optional: earphones €1.25, printed exhibition guide (DE, EN, FR, IT, ES, PT) €3.95.
Main building and Barak 1B wheelchair-accessible, exhibition on one level, automatic entrance doors; assistance is helpful at some interior doors. Elevator to the auditorium. Outdoor grounds passable by wheelchair and mobility scooter, but no restrooms there. Loaner wheelchairs at both sites (can be reserved by phone), folding stools in the entrance area. Induction loop for the audio tour, hearing loop in the auditorium, films with Dutch subtitles. Junior video tour in Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT) for deaf visitors aged 10 and up. The first exhibition room is dark with colored lighting; no low-stimulus options.
Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 10+
Family visits are recommended for ages 10 and up. Junior audio tour "Achter prikkeldraad" (ages 10–12) with a colorful "photo album" and activities, told through the stories of children of the same age; plus a junior video tour in sign language. Certified as a Kidsproof museum; children receive a small keepsake at the end. Baby changing table in the accessible restroom of the main building.
From ’s-Hertogenbosch Centraal (bus station, platform K), Buurtbus 207 runs hourly Mon–Fri from 7:51 and Sat from 9:51; no service on Sundays and public holidays, max. 8 passengers, payment by card or OV-chipkaart only. The museum recommends arriving on your own; by OV-fiets bike it's about 20 minutes from ’s-Hertogenbosch station.
Free parking
Free parking in front of the main building and on the ground level of the parking garage (on the right), shared with the PI Vught prison. Tour buses drop groups off in front of the building and park in the bus spaces behind the sidewalk. At Barak 1B there are 14 parking spaces and a charging station for two electric cars.
By car from the A2, take the A65/N65 toward Tilburg, exit IJzeren Man/Cromvoirt, then take the third street on the right (Lunettenlaan) to the end. By bike, about 5 km from the rear side of ’s-Hertogenbosch station (Paleiskwartier); bike parking with six e-bike charging stations in front of the building. On foot: NS hiking trail "Vughtse Lunetten" (10 km) from Vught station.
Get directionsMuseum café overlooking greenery (coffee, tea, worstenbroodjes, toasted sandwiches, cake), also open to non-museum visitors; no terrace, but benches by the building. Small museum shop with books on the camp's history, including books for young readers. Free lockers with a self-chosen code; it's best to leave large bags and coats in the car. Free Wi-Fi, loaner umbrellas for the outdoor grounds.
Meeting room with twelve seats for study days, seminars and meetings; inquiries by email.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes · approx. 75 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (NL, EN, DE, FR) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Allowed, with consideration for other visitors; do not photograph other visitors without their consent. |
| Good to know | Audio tour included in admission: indoors in Dutch and English, on the outdoor grounds also in German and French; junior audio tour (ages 10–12) in Dutch and English. Group tours of the outdoor grounds (75 minutes) and evening tours after closing by booking. Free walking route to the nearby execution site (Fusilladeplaats). Extensive school program from Dutch elementary grade 7, also in German, English and French. |
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