Zandvoort, September 1, 2025 – The Zandvoorts Museum is on the threshold of a new chapter. After decades on Swaluëstraat, the museum will move in September 2025 to a new, sustainable location in the former HDMZ building. This step provides the space to reposition the museum as a contemporary, socially engaged, and future-oriented cultural stage, right in the heart of Zandvoort.
“Zandvoorts Museum is moving to a new place full of stories, art, and heritage. Together, we are building the cultural house of the future,” the organization stated.
The new building offers more opportunities for exhibitions, education, and public activities. Additionally, the move contributes to the sustainability and future-proofing of the cultural sector in Zandvoort. The museum aims to be a place where residents and visitors feel at home, where heritage and art meet, and where stories are shared, passed on, and experienced. Under the motto ‘From Then to Soon — Stories move with us’, the Zandvoorts Museum is not only taking its collection along but, above all, the personal stories of residents, visitors, volunteers, and artists. Every postcard, every painting, and every memory has a place in the history of Zandvoort.
In 2025, the museum presents a versatile program. In The Life of Memories, the development of Zandvoort from a fishing village to a seaside resort takes center stage. Museum objects, such as fishing gear, swimwear, and curious photographs from the time of Empress Sissi, are connected with personal memories of residents and visitors. In this way, the past becomes tangible, human, and relatable.
Sculpture Now! showcases the work of three contemporary sculptors, each exploring their own material: bronze, stone, and ceramics. Noor Brandt, Charlotte Groutars, and Paulien Ploeger demonstrate how tradition and innovation reinforce each other and how sculpture can impress, quieten, and move the viewer.
In Kunstlogies (Art Lodgings), exceptional works from the collection of the Amsterdam Museum come to ‘stay’ temporarily in Zandvoort, including an 1863 painting by Cornelis Springer that depicts the village church with refined detail.
The exhibition 200 Years of Club Love focuses on the rich community life of Zandvoort. Historical photographs by photographer Bakels, objects, and stories from sports clubs, brass bands, choirs, and theater associations show how solidarity and tradition connect generations.
In addition, the museum collaborates with Zandvoort Art. Five artists will display their work in the ZM Passage, and during the weekend of October 11 and 12, 2025, over a hundred artists will present their creations throughout the village.
An absolute public favorite is the award-winning ‘360° film Panorama Zandvoort – The timeless sea’. In a specially designed cinema room, visitors are surrounded by a spectacular 12-minute projection that brings the history of Zandvoort to life – from fishermen and Empress Sisi to war, tourism, and motorsport. The installation was internationally recognized with the Silver Screen Award.
Alongside exhibitions, activities are organized that actively involve visitors in the living heritage of Zandvoort. In the project Write History!, stories are collected that together form a new history of the village, from personal memories to events that must not be forgotten. During painting and drawing workshops, participants create their own seascapes and postcards. In the sculpture workshop, participants discover the power of three-dimensional art and create their own sculpture using clay and other materials.
The new museum building also offers space for a welcoming MuseumCafé, where visitors can relax with a drink or a snack. Thus, the Zandvoorts Museum becomes not only a place to experience stories but also a meeting point in the center of Zandvoort.
The renewed Zandvoorts Museum officially opens its doors on September 20, 2025. It will be a place where the stories of Zandvoort are preserved and where new memories are created.