The Oranjehotel was the nickname for the Scheveningen prison during the Second World War. Here, the Germans detained over 25,000 people for interrogation and prosecution. A diverse group from all corners of the Netherlands had broken German laws: mostly resistance fighters, but also Jews and Jehova’s Witnesses, as well as people who were detained due to an economic misdemeanour, like black market traders. Already during the war, the complex was called ‘Oranjehotel’. It was an ode to the resistance fighters who were locked up there.
Famous and unknown people
Among the prisoners in the Oranjehotel were well-known people like the ‘Soldaat van Oranje’ (‘Soldier of Orange’) Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema, Rudolph Cleveringa, Titus Brandsma, George Maduro, Pim Boellaard, Henri Pieck, Heinz Polzer (Drs. P.) and Corrie ten Boom, but also countless others. Some were released, others were deported to other prisons or camps or executed on the nearby Waalsdorpervlakte. Cell 601, one of the death cells, was kept in its original state immediately after the war. It is the heart of the Oranjehotel.
Impressive stories
In the permanent exhibition in the National Monument Oranjehotel you learn everything about its history and hear the stories of the former prisoners. Stories about fear, hope, faith and patriotism. You can see how vulnerable freedom really is, and which choices people make when injustice, repression and persecution control society.
Until 2010 part of the Haaglanden penitentiary institution
Until 2010, the Oranjehotel was part of the Haaglanden penitentiary institution. For that reason it was only accessible once a year during a Remembrance. Since September 2019, the Oranjehotel has been opened as a Remembrance Center and is open to the public.
How to get to the Oranjehotel
The National Monument Oranjehotel is accessible by car via Van Alkemadelaan, the main route to Scheveningen Bad. Anyone choosing to travel by public transport, can take the number 22 or 23 bus and the number 9 tram, all three stops are five to ten minutes' walking distance from the Oranjehotel.
