Collection & Donations
The collection
The Freedom Museum has a unique collection of more than 92,000 objects, documents, photos and textiles. The core collection covers the years 1944 and 1945 in the Netherlands and Germany. The supporting collection has a broad and international scope, which also includes the pre-war and post-war period. We also have a specialist library with around 8.700 books.
Because we do a lot of work with a small number of staff, our archive and library cannot be viewed or visited without an appointment. You can, however, directly view the digitised part of our collection at www.collectiegelderland.nl and www.oorlogsbronnen.nl. If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, fill in the contact form on our website and we will contact you as soon as possible.
Donations
If you have historical objects from the interwar period, WWII or the liberation or post-war reconstruction period, don’t throw them away! They may still be of value to the Freedom Museum.
Objects not on display in the permanent exhibition are also preserved under good, stable conditions. This collection is regularly used for temporary exhibitions, projects, research, and loans to other museums in the Netherlands and further abroad. So, we are always grateful for such a donation and will put it to good use even if it cannot be placed on display in our permanent exhibition.
If you would like to donate a historical object or if you want to know whether your objects fit into our collection, please send us the details using the contact form. Or simply drop by the museum during the regular opening hours. No need for an appointment: there will always be somebody staffing the admissions desk who can accept your donation. But please note that it is not always possible for the curator to be present. If you want to speak to the curator in person, it is best to schedule an appointment in advance using the contact form on our website or by sending an email to welkom@vrijheidsmuseum.nl, stating ‘Attn. curator’ in the subject line.
To ensure proper handling of a donated item and prevent valuable information from being lost, we ask donors to fill in a form. If possible, we would appreciate it if you could provide some background information about the item or items you wish to donate.
