Our Mission
Our Mission The Nationaal Onderduikmuseum tells the grand history of people in hiding and the resistance through small, personal stories. We connect this history to the democracy and rule of law of today.
The museum seeks to avoid simple answers to a complex history; the story of the war is essential to understanding why ordinary people in the Netherlands and Germany made certain choices.
The Markt 12 Building
The heart of the museum is the building at Markt 12 in Aalten, situated right on the German border. This address perfectly illustrates the complexity of life during the occupation: at the time, the house was inhabited by the Kempink family and their two young children. While people were hidden in the attic, the large front room was requisitioned as an office for the German Ortskommandant. Simultaneously, the vaulted cellar served as a bomb shelter for the entire neighbourhood.
It is an authentic place of remembrance where history can still be read literally from the walls and the original hiding places remain tangibly present.
Hiding at the Border
As a border town, Aalten played a unique role. For generations, families had lived and worked on both sides of the border, deeply intertwined socially and economically. With the arrival of the occupying forces, however, the border shifted from a line of connection to a sharp fault line. Deep personal dilemmas arose: the war suddenly forced people into the roles of ‘occupier’ or ‘enemy’.
Despite these tensions, the community showed enormous resilience and solidarity. During the war, Aalten had the highest percentage of people in hiding in the country and provided shelter to approximately 500 evacuees from Scheveningen. Visitors of all ages can explore these hidden stories for themselves within the museum.
Euregional Connection
We look across the border. The Nationaal Onderduikmuseum works closely with cultural and educational organisations in North Rhine-Westphalia, such as the Gedenkstätte Augustaschacht near Osnabrück. As part of the Liberation Route Europe, we share the story of former resident Jenny Kempink and her family beyond the museum walls via the ‘Listening Stone’ on the museum square.
The Nationaal Onderduikmuseum is funded by Euregional, national, and provincial resources. Additionally, project grants have been awarded by the European INTERREG programme for innovative and sustainable projects that strengthen Europe, supporting the development of educational programmes and a documentation centre.
