Nationaal Monument Kamp Vught

Nationaal Monument Kamp Vught

Nationaal Monument Kamp Vught
4.5
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
Camp Vught National Memorial (Nationaal Monument Kamp Vught ) is located on part of the former SS camp Konzentrationslager Herzogenbusch, also known as Camp Vught (January 1943 – September 1944). The museum is spread out over several buildings and outdoor areas. A model of the camp shows the extensive size of the camp and the many buildings it included. The watchtowers, which were built a hundred meters apart, have been reconstructed. The barrack, rebuilt at half the original size, shows how the prisoners lived. The Children’s Memorial lists the names and ages of the 1,269 Jewish children who were deported in June 1943. There is also an authentic crematorium. Audiotour available in Dutch/English (museum) and Dutch/English/German/French (camp terrain). Hand-out German/French/Italian/Portuguese/Spanish for sale at desk. Free parking. Payment at reception: only PIN / credit card Closed 2024: September 8, October 4, December 24, 25, 31; 2025: January 1
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • Antonie
    Zeist, The Netherlands683 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Everyone should go.
    A must for everyone. Very well done, an audio tour with lots of explanations, and an exhibition with lots of images. Especially the crematorium and its stories impressed me. It is nice to see that attention is also paid to the choices made by people during the war. Wrong sometimes has a good reason.
    Beste Antonie, mooi dat de audiotour goed is bevallen; hiermee loop je als bezoeker in je eigen tempo door het museum en naar buiten.
    Written August 5, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 22, 2024
  • James K
    Leusden, The Netherlands3,280 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very impressive
    On our list was the podwalk in Vught from the series Het verhaal van Nederland, finally the time had come. The walk takes you through the woods and about halfway you reach Camp Vught. There we paused the walk to visit the camp. Very rewarding! With the audio guide you will learn a lot about the events and history surrounding this impressive place. Especially at the children's monument there is a moment of reflection. Bizarre what happened there and what people do to each other anyway. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that we have learned very few lessons from the past when we look at the misery in the world taking place in the present time. All in all a must to visit especially in combination with the podwalk because Daan Schuurmans also tells a lot about the history and surroundings of the camp.
    Best Jim, dank voor jullie bezoek en jullie waardering. Het museum ligt in een mooi natuurgebied; een goede combinatie met de podwalk van 'Het Verhaal van Nederland'.
    Written August 5, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 18, 2024
  • FrankWes
    Hengelo, The Netherlands94 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    It's impressive. Must-See
    I think there is no other place in the Netherlands where you can view the history of World War II so tangibly. The Museum is located where the events actually took place. It is very impressive to walk past the original concrete piles with barbed wire. And when you walk between the authentic ovens in the crematorium you can feel how many hundreds of people have died here. The stories you hear during the audio tour also make it a gripping visit. The staff at the museum are very friendly and helpful. Also think about visiting Barrack 1B, the only authentic barrack that still stands on the spot where it was once built. I advise you to walk there from the museum (about 10 minutes walk) you really realize how huge the camp site has been. Everyone should check this out.
    Beste Frank hartelijk dank voor je uitgebreide beoordeling en je waardering. In de zomervakantie is Barak 1B elke dag te bezoeken. Daarbuiten drie middagen per week, maar omdat een kaartje een maand geldig is, kan Barak 1B binnen die maand nog bezocht worden.
    Written August 5, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 1, 2024
  • Petal
    Brisbane, Australia1,649 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sobering and Moving Experience
    The Vught Concentration Camp Museum is very well set out and maintained. It is horrifying to learn how the camp opened in 1943 and held 31,000 prisoners who were made to work in factories or other labour during the German occupation. 749 prisoners were murdered in the camp, and the others were transferred to other camps. It is incredibly sobering to see an original transportation wagon sitting among the trees in such a beautiful setting. As is the posts bearing the bare facts and numbers of those who were transported elsewhere. The museum takes you through the period leading up to and during the German Occupation and stories and artefacts of those who were interred as prisoners. There is a small gift shop with an array of books for purchase. The cafe is a peaceful place to sit and reflect on your visit with a hot chocolate, whilst you look out at the beautiful surroundings. We did the walk to the execution site of those who were killed. It is moving and sobering to walk the same path. There is a memorial at the spot where they perished, with the name of the prisoner and the town they were from. It is definitely worth paying your respects to these poor souls as part of your visit. The memorial to the murdered children is particularly sad and confronting. However, it is important that we remember and pay our respects. The world must never forget.
    Visited January 2025
    Traveled with family
    Written January 20, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.5
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Kim P
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Friends
Sarah the tour guide was awesome. The tour was very thought provoking. The stories on the audio guide provided by the museum were very helpful. The Dutch Tour company is great resource for small group tours.
Written April 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joel
Amsterdam, The Netherlands585 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Friends
This is a brilliant museum. So worth the one hour 20 minutes drive from Amsterdam. The artefacts are so well presented. Also the barracks were open, amazing to experience this, even if a renovated version of the original barracks. We were so impressed with all the details in this museum. Plus no announcements not to touch anything or not to walk on grass etc, as if to celebrate freedom from restrictions as a theme throughout the museum. It was so overwhelming. Plus the staff were extremely helpful, and also free parking. Excellent, excellent, visit.
Written July 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your appreciation, we will pass the message to our volunteers and colleagues!
Written July 18, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Michael R
18 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
This "site" is a must see. Should we forget the past, we are destined to repeat it. The education and preservation of the site are very well done.

My suggestion is to add more interactive displays and educational content that would help educate younger attendees. (Check out the US Holocaust Museum's Passports, they help to connect visitors of all ages to the events of the day.
Written July 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sjbrewer1960
Oegstgeest, The Netherlands37 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
Visited to show our respect and to find out more about this camp. I was disappointed, plenty of information to read but the actual camp is mostly, if not all, reconstructed and it all feels very new rather than the moving experience expected. We have been to Auschwitz previously and found that profoundly moving. The memorials are well made and these people should never be forgotten but not sure this isn’t more orientated to being a tourist attraction and thats worrying.

Some information was translated but not all and the electronic information system isn’t easy to use because it’s handheld and not headset, as us the norm.

A good point is they supply folding stools that are easily carried for those that need to sit occasionally.

Not all staff spoke English and I heard one being quite rude to a Canadian visitor that needed help, I stepped in to help.

If you travel by public transport please be aware that the 207 city bys was a great route going but for the return the minibus turned up already full which meant an hour to next one so we had to arrange an uber.
Written August 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cornelis M
Ede, The Netherlands22 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Friends
Very impressive.
The story of the camp is clearly told through an audio tour of the display cases.

Finally, we also visited barrack 1B. This mainly concerns the use of the camp after the war. This gives a bit of a lighter ending.
Google
Written January 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pascal
Novigrad, Croatia34 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020 • Business
A perfect representation of the horror the humankind is capable of.

When I left the camp the only question in my mind was : Why, why why.

It’s a must see for everyone who have no idea how fast your safe world can change in a nightmare.
Written September 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your interest and appreciation!
Written October 8, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Joost
Waalwijk, The Netherlands4,688 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
We have visited the camp itself several times in the past. We had actually never been to the execution site. it is a large monument with the names of the 329 men who were executed here. It is part of the Vught national monument. The place is impressive . Behind the wall is a wooden cross that was placed by some local residents just after the camp was cleared.
The route from Camp Vught is beautiful and leads along water that was dug in the seventeenth century as a defense line, the so-called Lunettes.
At the beginning of the walking route to the execution site there are 2 wagons that were used to transport prisoners.
Google
Written October 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beste Joost, hartelijk dank voor jullie bezoek en de waardering!
Written December 20, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Greg
Cambridge, UK5,199 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Friends
We partook in a self-guided English tour of Kamp Vught in what is an incredibly sobering and somber occasion, but one that’s filled with great amounts of detail, artefacts and real-life accounts.

It begins with a short seven-minute film that details reasons why the camp became what it was, and so prevalent in The Netherlands, before moving on to an exhibit and tour of the grounds. There are lots of moving sections including the monument to murdered children but, as an experience, it was one I will remember for a long time, and the history behind Kamp Vught’s existence will forever be a reminder of evil overcome by grit and bravery.

A real must if you’re staying in the area like we were – we cycled from 's-Hertogenbosch in less than twenty-five minutes.
Written August 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for you interest and commitment. Good idea to visit the museum by bicycle!
Written October 8, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Bob V
Austin, TX560 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2014 • Family
As with other reviewers, I have visited Auschwitz-Birkenau and Dachau, and Camp Vught is not on the same scale. It is, however, worthy of a visit if you are seeking a concentration camp exposure during a visit to Amsterdam. A train to Herzoegenbusch, then a minibus ride (No. 213) to the camp plus the tour will eat up much of your day, but it's worth the trip. Vught was the only official SS concentration camp in occupied Northwest Europe. The horrors that occurred here, particularly involving children, should not be forgotten. Yes, it was largely a work and transit camp, but people died here, were executed here, and were cremated here. Though much of the camp has been renovated, the original crematorium is intact. Alas, much of the information displayed is only in Dutch, but there is an English guidebook available. After touring the camp, there is a trail through the woods that takes visitors to the memorial where the Nazis are known to have executed 329 prisoners by firing squad. You can learn of barbaric camp commander, Karl Chmilewski, and also of Joep the corpse-picker during your visit. More than 30,000 people passed through the gates of Camp Vught before the allied forces arrived. As the allies approached, the Nazis shipped most of the women to Ravensbruck and the men to Sachsenhausen. When the allies arrived, there were 500 bodies in a heap in a courtyard with about 500 more awaiting execution that afternoon. There aren't piles of hair or shoes or luggage from prisoners as you'll find in Auschwitz-Birkenau, but if you can't make the trip to Krakow or Munich yet still want exposure to the tragedy of the Holocaust, then Camp Vught is worthy of your time. As a plus, Herzogenbusch is a lovely Dutch city to visit, so you can plan a full day around your trip to Camp Vught.
Written July 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Me-from-the-UK
UK145 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2019
This visit is to a very small part of the overall site of the war-time Kamp Vught. It contains the original crematorium and a few reconstructed buildings and guard towers. A large diagram on the ground makes it clear that you are barely on the original site.

There is a free audio guide, which contains a lot of helpful information.

When I visited there was a MAJOR bit of building work going on - it looks like a massive new interpretation centre and museum is being built, but for the moment the entrance is rather offputting and confusing and not all of the stops on the audio tour exist.

Separately, and some distance walk / cycle away, is the execution site, now the Nationaal Monument. That is truly a terrible place for what has happened there yet is an a wonderful opportunity for meditation on how we are now.

Once the building work is finished, I'm sure that this will be a much better place to visit. But even now, it is well worthwhile.
Written September 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your visit. The renewed memorial centre is reopend last week by the King Willem-Alexander. Now you will find a bilingual exhibit with many stories, objects and photos concerning the history of the camp. We kept the doors open almost all year since closing would be more problematic with visitors coming from everywhere. Possibly the new exhibit can be a reason to visit us again!
Written December 4, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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