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Verzets Resistance Museum

Has anyone visited the Resistance Museum very recently to see the new museum approach called the 'Netherlands in WW II'? It focuses on people who joined the Nazis and people who resisted. Apparently museum is taking a more diverse approach. What did you think?

Is there a better alternative to learning about the Dutch Resistance in Amsterdam or elsewhere?

Thanks

Posted by
6583 posts

I believe you are referring to the permanent exhibit. Where did you here about it being a new approach? We were there in September and that is the exhibit we saw. We thought it was excellent. Another option would be to go to the Anne Frank house.

Posted by
2106 posts

The museum reopened in December 2022 with a new set-up. Visited it a few months later and for me it was a very involving insightful experience and certainly worth to see. You get the opportunity to look through the eyes of the resistance fighters and get a better idea the huge challenges they have to face. The set-up is open approach to give room forming your own opinion. I see no reason why you shouldn't go to it.

Posted by
1237 posts

I visited it both before and after their reinvention. Personally, I think they are now too apologetic about Dutch collaboration. Too many "what would you do" statements to explain away complicity in horrendous acts against the Jews and anyone else deemed undesirable. I still think it is a great museum and worth the visit, but I much preferred the older approach.

Posted by
977 posts

We were there two weeks ago, and found it interesting. We also visited Anne Frank museum the day prior, which is a must visit.

Posted by
16 posts

Thanks for additional information. We have tickets to the Anne Frank Museum. We understand that the Netherlands should be very proud of their resistance during the war. As long as this remains the primary focus, we will visit. I admit I will skip wherever possible info on Nazi sympathizers.

Posted by
1613 posts

“We understand that the Netherlands should be very proud of their resistance during the war.”

Yes, we are proud of those who actively stood up against the German occupation. It would however be very wrong to ignore the fact that there were also a lot of people, perhaps even more, who actively helped the Germans. They did that because of their beliefs or because they felt it was the only way to survive during the war. Compared to other countries, the Netherlands has the highest percentage of Jews that didn’t survive the war. 75% of the Jewish population didn’t survive the war. In Belgium that percentage was 40% and in France 25%. The collaboration in the Netherlands is partly to blame for that very high percentage.
Yes, we need to praise those who joined the resistance and the museum does that. On the other hand, we must not ignore the fact that there was a very large group that was on the opposite side. We can’t afford to only look away, because we need to learn from it. It’s too easy to assume that you’ll be on the good side when times get rough.
The Verzetsmuseum doesn’t glorify those who helped the Germans, far from it! It explains the circumstances that made one person decide to resist and another to collaborate.
I visited the museum last year and I thought it was really well done how they explained everything.

Posted by
2106 posts

Dutch Traveller - That’s well explained. The museum is in the same time an occupation museum too and shows how people respond once living under the rule of an oppressing regime. People have to make decisions they never have to do living in a free world. Some make good decisions, others bad and further everything in between.

Many decisions had huge consequences as you had to deal with retaliation. As a resistance fighter you can risk your own life but under those circumstances that of many others too and made it very hard to do something. But thinking for instance about those courageous young women spreading around forbidden newspapers (like still existing Trouw and Het Parool btw I read daily) and risking but their own lives. The open approach gives room to have a better understanding of the challenges they had to deal with.

Till today in the Netherlands we are struggling with what has happened some 80 years ago and being as transparant as possible about it helps understanding and processing the past and healing as good as possible the wounds that are still there. Nuance can make a huge difference in this and plays a prominent role in the renewed set-up of the museum trying to play a supporting role in this.

And as oppressing regimes and politicians who like to intimidate (where it all starts) are nowadays worldwide on the rise again is keeping in touch with history with museums like the Resistance Museum more important than ever before.

Posted by
6583 posts

What I think the museum does well, is showcase how incredibly hard the time was and how difficult the choices were. No one really knows how they will react in that circumstance unless they are actually in the thick of it. One can hope they would act honorably but when loved ones are involved, who knows. What about all the young men, actually boys in my view, that were drafted into the German army. Should they have refused?

Further, to ignore that some of the Dutch did not resist the Nazis seems like an attempt to hide the truth.

Posted by
1613 posts

“Further, to ignore that some of the Dutch did not resist the Nazis seems like an attempt to hide the truth.”

Not just some of the Dutch. The vast majority of the Dutch population neither actively resisted nor actively helped the occupiers. They just tried to get on with their lives and cope as best as they could with the challenging situation.
Only a few brave men and women stood up and resisted. A lot of them paid the ultimate price for that. Their story is still told in the Resistance museum today. However the museum also tells the story of some people who made another choice. It does this in a very sensitive way. In no way are the nazis glorified in the Resistance museum.

Posted by
16 posts

Thank you for helping me put the Netherlands experience in much better perspective. You are right to remind everyone that they cannot put on blinders to what happened then, or is happening now.

We visited Yad Vashem in Jerusalem as well as the Jewish Memorials, Synagogues and Jewish Quarters in Prague and Budapest last year. Then I ended my trip in Berlin with visits to Nazi and Jewish Memorials and Sites. I feel totally devastated. Each year the UN approves more resolutions condemning Israel than the rest of the world combined. This despite the atrocities and mass killings occurring in many other countries. The Hague currenting has hearings condemning Israel.

I can only imagine what the U.S. would have done if we had suffered the atrocities of Oct 7th. Think of our ill-informed actions following 9/11. I am praying for peace and an end to terrorism.

Here are good web-sites if you are interested in more information:

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/jewish-losses-during-the-holocaust-by-country

https://earlywarningproject.ushmm.org/reports/countries-at-risk-for-mass-killing-2023-24-early-warning-project-statistical-risk-assessment-results -- warnings of mass killings by country

I am a Christian of Dutch German and Swedish descent. My ancestors immigrated to the U.S. in the 1800's as a result of starvation and religious persecution. This year we are visiting Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. I ran short of time to visit Denmark, but plan to go soon.

Thanks again.

Posted by
977 posts

MJ, we also were glad to have toured the Corrie Ten Boom house in Haarlem. Tickets are difficult to get but check their website.

The contributions to this chat should be read by everyone. Thoughtful, insightful and well said.

Posted by
16 posts

Sadly, KD, the reservations go 3-4 months out. I was glad they had a virtual tour and digital guide on-line. Not the same as the experience of being there, though.

We arrive in Amsterdam June 15th! 3 1/2 days in Amsterdam (including a day-trip somewhere undecided yet) and 2 days in Delft/Rotterdam. Just not enough time.

Posted by
977 posts

Highly recommend taking the water taxi from Rotterdam to Kindersdijk to see the UNESCO windmills. A really lovely day.

Posted by
6583 posts

Thanks MJ! I just watched the Corrie Ten Boom video tour. We were so bummed we couldn't see this house.