Museum with a fantastic location in a former prison on Oostereiland

The Museum of the 20th Century (Museum van de 20e Eeuw) in Hoorn shows what daily life was like in the last century. It does so with thousands of items, photographs, film and sound.

Life changed a lot during the 20th century. The way people lived in the 20s was miles apart from the 80s. This museum tries to show and explain the characteristics of each decade. In the 70s, our parents sat in orange and purple interiors around a fondue set, listening to ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’. In contrast, our grandparents decorated their living room with heavy brown furniture and rubber plants.

Museum at a fantastic location: a monumental former prison on Oostereiland
Regular temporary exhibitions, also suited for children
Hundreds of original objects from the 20th century

This museum awakens memories

Whoever visits the Museum of the 20th Century with his (grand) parents will hear happy cries of: ‘We had that radio in the living room at home! And I bought a tape recorder just like that for my 40th birthday! We had the same blackboards and wooden desks in school!’ The museum in Hoorn offers a time traveling trip to the years when telephones didn’t have touchscreens, but dials.

A glimpse into the daily life of the last century

Visitors will make a trip down memory lane. They enter a period classroom, wander through an Aunt Emma’s store, take a look at their grandparents’ kitchen and living room, and can marvel at a wide range of gramophones and television sets. There are many period rooms, with each item in the style of the respective decade.

Facilities

The Museum has an elevator and other excellent facilities for disabled people. It furthermore has a Museum Shop, where you will find a large selection of books and interesting and nostalgic gifts.

Once a prison, now a museum

The imposing building, which is located on the island of Oostereiland between Hoorn harbor and Markermeer, served as a prison in the 19th and 20th centuries. The inmates had to carry out light work. For example, sorting raisins (krenten). Hence the nickname of the prison: Krententuin (‘raisin garden’). The Museum of the 20th Century moved into the former prison in 2012 after a 3-year renovation.

The historic city Hoorn

Hoorn has a lot of impressive historic monuments from the 17th century. At this time, Hoorn was one of the most important centers for commercial shipping in the Netherlands. And it experienced a period of great prosperity. The magnificent buildings of the Old Town show the wealth of Hoorn in what in Holland is known as the ‘Golden Age’. To see more of Hoorn’s history, you can also visit the Westfries Museum.

Staying in Hoorn

Combine a visit to the Museum of the 20th Century with a long weekend in Hoorn and its surroundings. Recommended is a trip on the historic narrow-gauge steam railway. This steam train will take you leisurely from Hoorn to Medemblik with a lot of steam and hissing. From Medemblik, you can take a – equally historic – ship over the IJsselmeer to Enkhuizen, another marvelous old town. And, last but not least, you can even stay in one of the cells of the former prison on Oostereiland. Part of it has been reformed into a hotel.

Museum of the 20th Century
Krententuin 24 (Oostereiland)
1621 DG Hoorn (NH)
Phone: +31 (0)229-214001
Email: info@museumhoorn.nl
Website: www.museumhoorn.nl

Open:

Monday till Friday: 10-17 hours, Saturday and Sunday: 12-17 hours.

Closed on 25th December, 1 January and Kingsday 27th April.

Free Audio Guide in English!

Route

We are located on Oostereiland, a peninsula in the harbor of Hoorn. Hoorn is close to Amsterdam! By car from Amsterdam it takes about 25 minutes to Hoorn. By train from Amsterdam it takes about 33 minutes. There are two fast trains per hour.

Directions by car

You can reach Hoorn by the A7 motorway (Amsterdam – Afsluitdijk – Leeuwarden). You take the exit Hoorn (not West or Noord) and follow the blue ANWB (Tourist Office) signs HAVENS. At P-HAVENS you can park your car free of charge. It’s a 10-minute walk to the Centrum (Centre) of Hoorn where you will see the green arrow signs for the Museum van de 20e Eeuw. Please note: satellite navigation will take you directly to the museum itself. But you can’t park here, so please follow the directions above.

Parking in Hoorn

The whole of the centre of Hoorn is PAID parking! And most places are for residential permit holders only. Therefore, it is sensible to park free of charge by P-HAVENS (Parking De Nieuwe Wal). On Oostereiland itself is only invalid parking available. If you are bringing goods to the Museum, or if you are disabled, you can announce this by the parking barrier at the back of Oostereiland. The barrier will then be lifted.

Touring Cars and Busses

Due to narrow streets, busses cannot reach the museum. They can drop and pick up passengers at the beginning of Visserseiland about 200 meters away from the Museum. A special permit is necessary. The museum can apply for this permit for your touring car free of charge. Busses can also park on the parking lot De Nieuwe Wal, see instructions above. .

By Train

Take the train to the main station of HOORN and then follow the green arrows ‘musea’ and ‘Museum van de 20e Eeuw’. It is a pleasant walk through the historic old centre of Hoorn taking about 20 minutes. Or you can take a taxi.

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