Oorlogsmuseum Ossendrecht

About the museum

The museum goes back to the collection of Jan M. de Jonge (born 1943), who collected mementos of the Second World War throughout his life. At first he showed them in memorial exhibitions in many places in the Netherlands and Belgium. Later he built a museum in the barn of his farm in Sinoutskerke near Goes, but the building became too small and dilapidated. In 2004 the family acquired the vacant former Catholic military home of the Queen Wilhelmina Barracks in Ossendrecht and set up the collection anew there.

The focus is on the occupation period, the liberation and the Battle of the Scheldt in autumn 1944, in which the Allies fought for access to the port of Antwerp. On display are around 120 uniforms on figures, about 20 dioramas, weapons, optical equipment, communications technology and medical equipment, as well as vehicles, guns, mines, ammunition, thousands of photos and documents, a reconstructed Atlantic Wall bunker and a model railway from the period.

In the night leading up to October 15, 2020, the museum was broken into and some of its most valuable pieces were stolen; the damage was estimated at over €1.5 million. After the theft the museum reopened with additional security measures. It deliberately does not want to be a mass attraction, and instead offers personal guided tours, on request also in English, German, French or Polish. There is also a "Battle Tour" to memorials and battlefields in the surrounding area.

Highlights

• Around 120 uniforms on figures and about 20 dioramas
• Focus on the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944
• Reconstructed Atlantic Wall bunker
• Vehicles, guns, weapons and medical equipment
• Personal guided tours in several languages

Permanent exhibitions

• Dioramen zum Zweiten Weltkrieg – Around 20 scenes from the mobilization in 1939 through the occupation and Blitzkrieg to the liberation in 1945, with a focus on the war at the Scheldt estuary.
• Bunker des Atlantikwalls – A reconstructed, fully furnished bunker that shows daily life under occupation.

Operated by

Jan und Janneke de Jonge (privat)

Admission & discounts

Admission according to the museum website is €5; reduced rates are possible (amount not stated).

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum is located between Antwerp and Bergen op Zoom, halfway between Hoogerheide and Putte on the N289 (kilometer marker 11.2). The navigation system sometimes shows Hoogerheide; in that case enter "Putseweg 60 Putte". It is the former Catholic military home of the Wilhelmina Barracks.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit