Beeld & Geluid

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid (Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision) was formed in 1997 through the merger of several audiovisual archives, including the archive of the public broadcasters, the film archive of the government information service and the Dutch broadcasting museum. As the national media archive, it preserves radio and television programs dating back to the 1930s as well as films, music, games, podcasts and social media content – well over a million hours of material in total.

For the archive and the public, the architects Neutelings Riedijk designed a striking new building at the Media Park in Hilversum, which opened in 2006. The glass facade, designed by Jaap Drupsteen, features colored reliefs with motifs from television history; a large part of the archive vaults lies underground, while offices and exhibition floors are grouped above them around a tall atrium.

The exhibition “The Experience” opened in the building in 2006. After 2020 it was replaced by the interactive media museum, which uses its own app to guide visitors through zones on sharing, informing, selling, storytelling and playing. From 2019 to 2024 the institute also ran a venue in The Hague that had grown out of the communication museum there; since its closure, the collection is moving to Hilversum. A second public venue is due to open at the end of 2026 with Fonos on the Kerkbrink in the center of Hilversum, home to the largest music collection in the Netherlands.

Highlights

• Interactive media museum: present the news yourself, design ad campaigns and build games
• Personalized museum journey with the Mediamuseum app and your own “Mediamix” film
• Installation “Beleef 75 jaar TV” with 75 working television sets
• Costumes of well-known media personalities in the “Pronken” display
• Colorful glass facade by Jaap Drupsteen and monumental atrium
• Free media library with the digitized archive (by reservation)

Permanent exhibitions

• Het Mediamuseum – Interactive main exhibition in five zones (Delen, Informeren, Verkopen, Vertellen, Spelen – sharing, informing, selling, storytelling, playing) showing how media shape our lives and how to make media yourself.
• Verwonderen – A journey through seventy years of consumer electronics, with devices to look at, listen to and try out.
• Pronken – Costumes of Dutch media personalities from the 20th and 21st centuries on the eighth floor, with a photo booth.

Founded

2006

Operated by

Stichting Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid

Director

Eppo van Nispen tot Sevenaer

Admission & discounts

Free with the Museumkaart; also free with the VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART (1 person) and an ICOM card – but you still need to reserve a time slot. Online tickets with a time slot are recommended and required during holidays; the time slot has no fixed end time. The exhibition “Heel Holland Zoekt”, café, lounge and media library are free. The museum is cashless (card/contactless only).

Accessibility

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

Museum furniture is designed for medium-sized wheelchairs; an additional elevator connects the fifth floor with the sixth and eighth floors. Almost all stations are wheelchair-accessible (except “Game on” in the Spelen zone). Loan wheelchairs at the information desk in the atrium. Accessible restrooms on the first and second floors. Subtitles for all films via the app, induction loop throughout the building, eZwayZ navigation app for visually impaired visitors. Two accessible parking spaces next to the garage entrance. The museum is very sensory-intensive – it is quieter outside the holidays, on weekdays and after 15:00.

Kids & families

Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 8+

• Hands-on stations

The museum recommends a visit from age 8; it is less suitable for younger children. Families can expect a highly interactive tour with their own news broadcast, influencer games and an interactive play area. Also open on Mondays during the fall and Christmas holidays.

Getting there & parking

GPS address: Media Parkboulevard 1, 1217 WE Hilversum (older GPS devices: Sumatralaan 45, 1217 GP). The Mediamuseum website mentions a walk of just under ten minutes from the station.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Café in the atrium during museum opening hours (accessible without a ticket). Free unattended cloakroom and free lockers. Free Wi-Fi; a limited number of loan smartphones. Pets not allowed (assistance dogs are).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Atrium, Eventvloer, Theater 1 and 2, Labs and Top 2000 Café for receptions, parties, presentations, film screenings and smaller meetings; also hybrid events, podcast recordings and corporate workshops. Contact: evenementen@beeldengeluid.nl.

Plan your visit