Life in the Oranjehotel

More than 25,000 people were detained in the Oranjehotel, the nickname for the Scheveningen prison during the Second World War. Well-known names such as the "Soldier of Orange" Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema, Leiden professor Cleveringa, writer Simon Vestdijk and members of the resistance Pim Boellaard and George Maduro, but also many less well-known people. A diverse group of men, women and even children who had violated the laws of the German occupier. Their stories you can hear in the permanent exhibition in the former Service departments.

Films, documents, objects and photos provide a picture off prison life, but also consider occupation, resistance and disruption within families. The presentation is based on stories from former prisoners. An animation film illustrates 24 hours in the Oranjehotel and lawyer Gerard Spong and writer Adriaan van Dis talk about the legal system and the aftermath of war and the influence on subsequent generations. The Waalsdorpervlakte is also covered. Four original crosses that were on the execution site until 1981 can be seen in the exhibition.

Visitors can look up data about former prisoners in a database. Different data are linked to each other. This way a complete story is created for each prisoner. Cell 601, one of the death cells, is located in the heart of the Remembrance Center. Immediately after the war, this cell was kept in its original state as a silent witness, including the inscriptions on the walls.