Author Terry Lee Marzell visits the Verzets Resistance Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to learn more about Dutch resistance to the Nazis during World War II.

My most recent post discussed how visiting a historical site or museum can immeasurably improve the teacher’s ability to teach a topic. Specifically, I was talking about how a visit to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam would be invaluable to instruction about the Holocaust. In my opinion, any study of the victims of the Holocaust is greatly improved when paired with a discussion about resistance movements and rescuers. Therefore, if you get the opportunity to travel to the Netherlands, I  recommend pairing your visit to the Franks’ hiding place with a visit to the Verzets Resistance Museum, a museum entirely devoted to describing the various ways the Dutch people resisted the Nazi occupiers.

The connection between Jewish asylum-seekers such as the Frank family and Dutch resistance workers is a strong one. On the day that Anne Frank and her family were arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz, two of the ten individuals that were deported from the secret annex were resistance workers who had been aiding the Frank family over the two-year period they had been in hiding.

The Verzets Museum displays a printing press used by Dutch resistance workers to create underground newspapers.

The Verzets Museum offers a wealth of information about the German Occupation and Nazi domination in the Netherlands during World War II, and how the Dutch people collectively responded to their occupation. During the years of 1940 to 1945, nearly every Dutch citizen faced moral dilemmas which required difficult and dangerous choices. The museum explores covert or more open strategies used by those who chose to resist. Most often these strategies included hiding Jewish neighbors or aiding those in hiding, forging documents, publishing underground newspapers, or conducting counter-intelligence. But a few chose to become involved in strikes, armed resistance, or domestic sabotage. All of them faced the possibility of deportation to the death camps or immediate execution if caught.

The Verzets Resistance Museum is housed in the handsome Plancius building, a structure originally constructed in 1876. The house previously served as a Jewish music hall, a Jewish cultural center, and a synagogue. The space was converted into the Verzets, also known as the Museum of Dutch Resistance, in 1999.

The Verzets Museum is open seven days a week. Tickets cost 11 Euros per adult, and come with a free audio tour in English. For more information, check out their website at Verzets Resistance Museum.