General Museum Information

   The home of Corrie ten Boom is now a museum!  It is perfectly situated in the center of the beautiful old city of Haarlem, Holland.  (Haarlem is a 15 minute train ride west of Amsterdam.)  Much of the house has been refurbished to appear as it did in the 1940's.  Visitors can see the actual "hiding place,"  which is a small area behind a false wall in Corrie's bedroom.  This is where Jews and others were safely hidden from the Nazis.  The museum also contains a book shop.  The Corrie ten Boom House is located at 19 Barteljorisstraat, Haarlem.

Museum Hours

     Guided tours of the Corrie ten Boom House are given Tuesdays through Saturdays:

• from April 1 through October 31
  Tuesday through Saturday starting at 10 AM (10:00)* with the last tour at 3:30 PM (15:30)*

• from November 1 through March 31
  Tuesday through Saturday starting at 11 AM (11:00)* with the last tour at 3:00 PM (15:00)*

All visitors take part in guided tours which include up to 25 people.
* Specific times and languages of tours vary - see "Daily Schedule of Tours" below.

The museum is closed Sundays, Mondays, and the following Dutch holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Queens Day (April 30), Ascension Day (June 2, 2011/May 17, 2012), and Christmas (December 25 and 26).

Tours

     All visitors take part in group guided tours through the Ten Boom home.  Tours are led by knowledgeable guides who are volunteers.  Tours last about one hour and are in English or Dutch.

      Guides share the inspiring stories of this family as visitors are led through the house. The house has been restored and has many rare family photographs, mementos and items from the war years. Visitors will see the "hiding place."

     The history of the Ten Boom family is a testimony of their love and loyalty toward the Jewish people. This home is once again an "open house," just as it was when the Ten Booms lived in it.  The museum is a living memorial to this  family who lived as Christians by grace and obedience to God.  It is hoped that many visitors will find inspiration in the example of the Ten Boom family. This old house carries an important message for today!

Daily Schedule of Tours

     When you arrive at the Corrie ten Boom House, this is how you find the time and language (English or Dutch) of the next tour: There is an alley (a small street) alongside the Ten Boom House.  Walk past the Ten Boom Jewelers display windows on this narrow street, and you will find the family door to the Ten Boom home.  A sign on this green door has two clocks. One clock gives the time of the next English tour; the other clock gives the time of the next Dutch tour. If the clocks are set at the same time, the tour may be bilingual. The museum is not large enough for visitors to wait inside, so visitors gather by the green door and are invited into the house by a guide at the scheduled time.  If you arrive late for a tour, you will not be admitted.

Visitors are asked not to wait in the watch shop unless they are interested in purchasing fine watches or jewelry.

Entry Fee?

Admittance to the museum is free. Donations are appreciated. Groups of 4-25 people can reserve a place in a tour - see "Tours for Groups" below. For groups, we request a contribution of €2,50 per person.

Tours for Groups

     Groups of 4 to 25 persons can reserve places in a tour in advance. To make a reservation, please contact the museum, preferably by email (info@corrietenboom.com), or by phone (+31 (0)23-5310823). For reserved places, we ask a contribution of €2,50 per person. Group tours are not reserved as private tours. Other visitors can be added to groups of fewer than 25 people. Tours with reservations begin promptly at the appointed time. If, without the tour guide receiving notice, a group is not present at the appointed time, the reservation is cancelled and other visitors can take those places.

Ten Boom Jewelers in the Corrie ten Boom Museum

     In keeping with the tradition of this house, the Ten Boom Jewelers is open for business. The shop has been updated, and includes the sale of fine watches and jewelry. Some watches carry the the Ten Boom name. The shop is a separate business, not part of the museum.

Directions to the Corrie ten Boom Museum

     For a map of Haarlem showing the Corrie ten Boom Museum, click this link www.maps.google.com and type in the address Barteljorisstraat 19, 2011 Haarlem, The Netherlands.

     The best way to travel to Haarlem is by train or bus. Your destination is Haarlem Central Station. There is a website to help you know which train or bus to take to come to Haarlem. Click this link www.ns.nl/cs/Satellite/travellers

DIRECTIONS FROM HAARLEM CENTRAL STATION (Train and Bus Station)

It is a 15 minute walk from Haarlem Central Station to the Corrie ten Boom Museum. Leave the train station by the doors marked “Centrum” (meaning you are headed toward the city center). Turn right as you leave the station. Straight ahead, beyond the construction area, is a street named Kruisweg. When you reach Kruisweg, turn left. This is toward Haarlem's Grote Markt (Market Square).  You will continue on this street all the way to the museum—the street changes names from Kruisweg to Kruisstraat and then to Barteljorisstraat, but it is all the same street.  The museum is located on the left side, at 19 Barteljorisstraat.  The museum is one block before you reach the market square.  The street in front of the museum is pedestrians only.     

When you arrive at the Corrie ten Boom House, this is how you find the time and language (English or Dutch) of the next tour: There is an alley (a small street) alongside the Ten Boom House.  Walk past the Ten Boom Jewelers display windows on this narrow street, and you will find the family door to the Ten Boom home.  A sign on this green door has two clocks. One clock gives the time of the next English tour; the other clock gives the time of the next Dutch tour. If the clocks are set at the same time, the tour may be bilingual. The museum is not large enough for visitors to wait inside, so visitors gather by the green door and are invited into the house by a guide at the scheduled time.  If you arrive late for a tour, you will not be admitted.

Visitors are asked not to wait in the Ten Boom Jeweler's Shop, unless they are interested interested in purchasing fine watches or jewelry. It is a business separate from the museum.

If you have to wait awhile for the next tour, continue on Barteljorisstraat one block to the Grote Markt (Market Square).  There you can tour beautiful St. Bavo (the Dutch Reformed church where the Ten Booms often attended). On the Grote Markt there are also many restaurants including a McDonald's.

DIRECTIONS FROM AIRPORT  (International flights to Amsterdam fly into Schiphol Airport.)    

  Schiphol Airport has a train station within it.  It is approximately a 30 minute train ride to Haarlem via Amsterdam.  One change of trains is required. Destination is Haarlem Central Station.  Ask for specific directions at the train ticket counter or click this link www.ns.nl/cs/Satellite/travellers . There is also a bus running 10 times every hour (from 6:30-18:30) from Schiphol to Haarlem Station - Bus 300 (Connexxion, Zuid-Tangent, color orange). This bus goes directly to Haarlem without changes.

DIRECTIONS BY CAR   

Haarlem can be reached from Amsterdam off of the N5/A5 autoroute. Driving directions can be obtained by clicking this link www.maps.google.com and typing in the address  Barteljorisstraat 19, 2011 Haarlem, The Netherlands. On the map, click “Get directions.”

     There is a parking garage one block south of Haarlem Central Station (train and bus station) on Lange Herenstraat.  There are four other parking garages in Haarlem.  Street parking is extremely limited and not advised.

Click on this link for parking costs http://www.haarlem.nl/language/english-visiting-haarlem/parking-in-the-centre-of-haarlem  

What else to see in Haarlem

     St. Bavo Church is located one block from the Corrie ten Boom Museum on Haarlem's Grote Markt (Market Square).  St. Bavo is the beautiful Dutch Reformed Church the Ten Boom family often attended.  You may remember the stories Corrie tells about playing in this church as a child.  You can also see and hear St. Bavo's famous organ.  It has been played by Mozart and Handel.

     There are two well-known art museums in Haarlem:  Frans Hals Museum and Teylers Museum.  The Town Hall and the Fish Hall on the Grote Markt exemplify the character of Haarlem.  Each of these sites are within easy walking distance of the Corrie ten Boom House.  More information may be obtained at the VVV (Tourist Office) which is located on the Kruisweg side of Haarlem's Central Station (train and bus station). 

     Flowers--The area around Haarlem is especially beautiful in the spring.  If your visit occurs between March and May, you will be able to view the gorgeous fields of tulips and other bulb flowers.  World-famous Keukenhof flower gardens is open from March 30 through mid-May.  Keukenhof is a short bus ride from Haarlem.