The hiding place was built by professional craftsmen who were members of the resistance to ensure it could withstand Gestapo searches.
Corrie ten Boom’s autobiography, The Hiding Place, was later adapted into a 1975 film of the same name.
The watch shop on the ground floor was a legitimate business operating since 1837 and provided the cover for the family's resistance activities.
During the February 1944 raid, the Gestapo arrested thirty people in the house, but failed to discover the six refugees hidden in the secret room.
The refugees in the secret room were successfully rescued by the resistance after the family members were taken into custody.
Corrie ten Boom was the only member of her immediate family to survive the concentration camps, returning home after the war to begin a worldwide ministry.
The Corrie ten Boom Museum is located in the former family home and watch shop of the ten Boom family, who sheltered Jewish refugees during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The house served as a base for the Dutch Underground resistance until the family was betrayed and arrested in 1944. Visitors can view the original secret hiding place constructed behind a false wall in Corrie ten Boom's bedroom. The museum preserves the home as it appeared during the 1940s, providing context for the family's Christian faith and humanitarian efforts. Guided tours explain the mechanics of the wall compartment and the family's eventual incarceration in concentration camps. The site operates as a memorial dedicated to the themes of forgiveness and courage under extreme duress. It remains a significant historical site documenting the Holocaust in Haarlem.
The front facade of the historic watch shop on Barteljorisstraat.
Reservations are mandatory for all visitors as the museum is small and operates exclusively by guided tour.
Book your visit well in advance, as slots fill up weeks or months ahead of time due to high demand.
Expect a somber, emotional experience that requires quiet reflection during the tour.
Do not attempt to walk in without a confirmed reservation, as entry is strictly controlled.
Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Maintain a respectful, quiet demeanor; photography is restricted or prohibited in certain sensitive areas of the house.
