National Holocaust Museum
Plantage Middenlaan 24, 27, 29, Amsterdam
2019-2024
National Holocaust Museum
Plantage Middenlaan 24, 27, 29, Amsterdam
2019-2024
Renovation of the memorial the Hollandsche Schouwburg and transformation of the Reformed Nursery School into the National Holocaust Museum
Address: Plantage Middenlaan 24, 27, 29, Amsterdam
Area: 3.500 m²
Client: Foundation Hollandsche Schouwburg
Architects: Office Winhov
Team: Uri Gilad, Inez Tan, Leon Kentrop, Rick Bruggink, András Szél, Anna Janssen, Franco Serra, Maria Trombetta
Renders: Dima
Photography: Luuk Kramer, Stefan Müller, Max Hart Nibbrig
Prijzen: Winner ARC Awards 2024
National Holocaust Museum
Plantage Middenlaan 24, 27, 29, Amsterdam
2019-2024

As a singular and emotionally-charged location, the National Holocaust Museum presents the history of the persecution of Dutch Jews during World War II. Opened in 2024, the museum is housed in the former teaching school Hervormde Kweekschool. It forms a larger whole with the former theatre Hollandsche Schouwburg across the street. The Hollandsche Schouwburg was the assembly point from which Jews were deported to the camps, and as such was already an established memorial site. The story of the ‘Reformed Nursery School’ is less well known: it was via here where 600 detained Jewish children were brought to relative safety. While preserving the buildings’ surviving historical elements, the museum is formulated as a place for both remembrance and to pass on history to future generations. The goal of the architectural design was to provide the mental space for the personal stories to come to life for the visitors – to give a sense of place: this happened here.

National Holocaust Museum
Plantage Middenlaan 24, 27, 29, Amsterdam
2019-2024
The entrance building
Hollandsche Schouwburg during World War II with Nazi guards, 1942
Hervormde Kweekschool designed by Gerlof Salm, 1888
Bronze model
New situation of the Hollandsche Schouwburg and the National Holocaust Museum Situation at the start of renovation of the Hollandsche Schouwburg and the former Hervormde Kweekschool Original situation of the Hollandsche Schouwburg and the Hervormde Kweekschool
New situation of the Hollandsche Schouwburg and the National Holocaust Museum
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The Plantage Middenlaan with a view of the Reformed Nursery School and Hollandsche Schouwburg
The Reformed Nursery School in its original contour and the modern entrance building
1888–1950 1950–2022 New façades Plantage Middenlaan 27+29
1888–1950
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Former situation of the Reformed Nursery School
New entrance National Holocaust Museum
The Reformed Nursery School in its original contour and the modern entrance building
Art work by Gabriel Lester
Henriëtte Pimentel garden with the separation wall to the former nursery
Entrance National Holocaust Museum
Stair to the permanent collection
Museum cafe
The auditorium in the new building
View towards the separation wall
The renovated stairwell, with original color schemes of the former school building
One of the former classrooms where the permanent exhibition is now located
Room 1 at the National Holocaust Museum, photo Mike Bink
View from the permanent collection
The renovated courtyard of the Hollandsche Schouwburg
The new entrance hall of the Hollandsche Schouwburg refers to the original design by Jan Leupen
Courtyard walls with memorial drops
Scheme of a continuous route between the two buildings, crossing the tram track
An open connection with the memorial site designed by Jan Leupen ca. 1960
Colour sampling at the façade of the Hollandsche Schouwburg Colour sampling at the façade of the Hollandsche Schouwburg
Colour sampling at the façade of the Hollandsche Schouwburg
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The façade of the Hollandsche Schouwburg in the original color scheme of Jan Leupen