Corrie ten Boom Museum

The Corrie ten Boom Museum in Haarlem is the former home and watch shop of the ten Boom family, and it is one of the best known sites of the Dutch resistance in the Second World War. The house stands on the Barteljorisstraat, a short walk from the Grote Markt and the railway station, and it looks like an ordinary narrow canal-city building, with a shop on the ground floor and living rooms above. What makes it extraordinary is the story of what happened here, and the small hiding place built into one of the upper rooms.

The ten Booms were a devout Reformed family. Casper ten Boom, the father, was a watchmaker, and his daughters Betsie and Corrie helped in the shop. During the German occupation, the family took in Jews and members of the resistance who were being hunted by the authorities, and they became part of a network that helped people to find safe places to stay. A secret room was built behind a false wall in Corrie's bedroom, small enough to be missed in a search, with a hidden entrance, and a warning system alerted everyone in the house when a raid came. On 28 February 1944, the Gestapo raided the house after an informant gave the family away. Six people who were hiding in the secret room escaped detection and survived, though the family members were arrested.

The consequences were severe. Casper ten Boom died shortly after his arrest, and Betsie died in the concentration camp at Ravensbrück. Corrie survived and was released, and after the war she travelled the world telling her story, which she wrote in a book called The Hiding Place, published in 1971 and later made into a film. She is recognised as one of the Righteous Among the Nations by the Yad Vashem memorial in Israel, which honours non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews. The museum shows how ordinary people made extraordinary choices.

The visit is by guided tour only, usually lasting about an hour or a little longer, in small groups with a guide who tells the story and takes visitors up to the hiding place. Tours must be reserved in advance, often well ahead in busy periods, and they are offered in English and other languages. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. The house has steep stairs, so it is not suitable for wheelchair users, and the museum recommends a minimum age for children.

The museum suits visitors interested in the history of the war, faith and resistance. Combine it with a walk through Haarlem, past the Grote Markt, St. Bavokerk and Teylers Museum.