Nature & natural history museums in North Holland

Artis is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands that opened its doors in 1838. The zoo features 27 historic buildings, of which most date from the 19th century. Because of this, Artis has a distinctive charm and a historical dimension that lacks in more modern zoos. The monumental aquarium contains tropi

The Muiderslot from 1285 is a medieval moated castle. It is a square castle with five towers, battlements, embrasures and a drawbridge. One of the inhabitants of the castle was the Dutch writer and poet Pieter Cornelis Hooft, who lived there in the seventeeth century. The visitor is taken back in ti

Ecomare is a nature museum with seals, bird, an aquarium and a ‘duinpark’. The museum is dedicated to the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. Many different species of fish, starfish and shellfish live in the various aquariums. Each aquarium shows another habitat, illustrating the differences between life

Body Worlds: The Happiness Project is a permanent exhibition. The exhibition illustrates the story of the human body and the impact of happiness on health. More than 200 anatomical specimens of human bodies are exhibited that illustrate the complexity, resilience and vulnerability of the human body.

The Steamtrain Hoorn Medemblik museum is dedicated to the steam train in the Netherlands. The museum uses the former freight and classification yard of that station of Hoorn. Steam trams drive from village to village on the railway between Hoorn and Medemblik from 1887. The collection consists of st

The Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, founded in 1638. The garden is about 3 acres in size and is home to 6,000 plants of over 4,000 species. In addition to an outdoor garden, the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam has a number of greenhouses which accommodate p

Micropia is located in the historic ‘Ledenlokalen’ from 1870. In Micropia the invisible world of microorganisms is made visible and accessible for a broad audience. Micro-organisms such as fungi and bacteria are everywhere and define how our world looks like. Visitors are informed about current issu

The Netherlands Fortress Museum is housed in ‘Bastion Turfpoort’. The museum is dedicated to the war history of the Netherlands. The visitor learns how the soldiers of the garrison guarded Holland, and specifically Amsterdam. The museum consists of an outdoor part and an underground part. The outdoo

The Amsterdam Tulip Museum demonstrates the history of the tulip in the Netherlands. The museum gives information on the tulip mania and the economic power of the flower during the Golden Age in the seventeenth century. The museum also shows how bulbs served as food for people during wars and the or

The Sea Aquarium is the only place in the Netherlands where you will find fish from all the world's oceans. Our extensive collection includes not only the cold waters of the North Sea, but also the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and all tropical seas. More than 40 aquariums, arranged by temperatu

🦋 What is Vlindertuin Vlindorado? Vlindertuin Vlindorado is one of the largest indoor butterfly gardens in Europe, located in a spacious greenhouse in Waarland, North Holland. Thanks to the tropical temperature and high humidity, you’ll feel like you're in a colorful rainforest, surrounded by exoti

Natuurmuseum E. Heimans focuses on the nature in the area. The museum shows the nature that is present in the Zaans urban environment. The museum has a permanent exhibition ‘Nature in the City’ and a temporary exhibition hall. About three times a year the museum organizes temporary exhibitions on a

Geologisch Museum Hofland illustrates the history of life on earth, the influence of the Ice Ages and the circulation of rocks. The museum seeks to do it in an easy but scientifically responsible manner. There are six permanent exhibitions: The history of Het Gooi, Fossils and the history of life on

Museum Vrolik is an anatomical museum that is part of the AMC. The museum illustrates diseases and what diseases do to a body. The collection of the museum includes normal anatomy of humans and animals, but also, pathological anatomy and birth defects. There are approximately 10,000 objects, anatomi

Waterlandsmuseum de Speeltoren illustrates the history of Monnickendam and Waterland. The museum shows the origins of a classical Dutch landscape. Topics that are covered include monasteries and monks, fisheries and ship transport over sea. The highlight of the museum is the completely new built Car

Blanckendaell Park consists of a zoo with both farm animals such as donkeys and goats, as well as exotic animals such as the penguins or the parrot. There is also a small museum where the visitor goes back in time with a collection of antique agricultural tools.

Enter the most beautiful 'country house of Amsterdam'. Beeckestijn is one of the few large 18th-century estates in Kennemerland that has been preserved in its entirety. Rich Amsterdammers spent their summers at this imposing estate with its showy façade in the Louis XIV style, which features the pa

The Historische Tuin Aalsmeer is a botanical garden. In the garden, the visitor goes on a journey into the past, starting in 1940 and then further back in time to the beginning of the 17th century when mainly fruit trees were grown. Among other things, the garden features a monumental farmhouse, two

ABOUT THE MUSEUM Embark on a journey of discovery through 2,000 years of accumulated wisdom, inspired by the images and texts from the collection of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica. The Embassy of the Free Mind is a museum and offers a journey of discovery through a hidden, yet inspiring

Stoomgemaal Halfweg is the oldest steam pumping station in the world. It was built as a basin pumping station, to discharge the water pumped out by the Haarlemmermeer Lake to the sea. The pumping station still operates several days a year.

At the Groote Museum you will discover where we come from, how we are connected and what we depend on. With these insights about yourself and your relationship to other life, the question "where are we going?" comes closer. But it starts with you. In the Groote Museum you go on a personal expeditio

Artis class Haarlem is a mini zoo that consists of an outdoor area with four houses that house different animals. There is also a diorama with eight biotopes.

The Pieter Vermeulen Museum is a centre for environmental education. The temporary exhibitions on nature, are about doing and discovering. In addition to the temporary exhibition, a part of the collection of mounted animals is exhibited. For children there are handicraft kits that are related to the

The Nationaal Saet & Cruytmuseum is housed in the former pumping station "Grootslag", along with the Poldermuseum. It is dedicated to the cultivation, processing, packaging and sale of horticultural seeds and propagating plant material. It covers both the importance of propagating material as an (ex

In an interactive way, you will become acquainted with the role of plants in feeding and making the world a more pleasant place. Learn about plant breeding and the production and improvement of seeds.

Pinetum Blijdenstein is an arboretum with 2 hectares of land. It has a large collection of conifers and other gymnosperms. The collection includes several endangered species. Besides a place to go for a walk and to see the trees and plants, it is also a place for lectures, concerts and exhibitions.