Open Monument Day 2023
On Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 September 2023, thousands of monuments in the Netherlands will again open their doors for free to the general public. Some of our monuments are participating again, too! We tip you off to a few in advance.
Mark van den Bos | director/director Monumentenbezit
In about one month from now, you will be able to visit all kinds of special buildings all over the country again. In any case, these should not be missing from your list.
Kronenburgertoren, Nijmegen
Grab your chance! Only on Open Monumentendag you can climb the thirty-meter high Kronenburgertoren. At the top you have a wonderful view, with good weather you can even see all the way to Arnhem's old dome prison.
In the middle of the green Kronenburgerpark in Nijmegen you will find this brick tower, containing the Grandmother's Kitchen Museum. This powder tower was once part of the second medieval city wall and is now the only remnant of the 15th- and 16th-century ramparts. It is an exceptionally well-preserved example of medieval military architecture.
Ruïne van Strijen, Oosterhout
This monument is also normally limited access, but thanks to the Verweesde Toren Foundation, you can attend workshops here during Open Monument Day. Noble knights and powerful archers await you at the ruins during Open Monument Day!
This ruin is a remnant of the thirteenth-century castle of Strijen, built by Willem IV of Strijen and later expanded by Willem van Duvenvoorde. The castle had a total of three floors and the tower, part of which still stands among the trees today, even had six. That tower was about 26 meters high! After its destruction during the Eighty Years' War, the castle was never fully restored. You can admire the ruins from a distance outside this day.
Ruïne van Nuwendoorn, Sint-Maarten
Visit the newest addition to our portfolio: Ruïne van Nuwendoorn! This ruin is the remnant of a castle built by order of Floris V! It consisted of a residential tower measuring 11 by 11 meters, a main castle measuring 32 by 32 meters and an outer castle.
Nuwendoorn is an archaeological national monument and has had limited access to recreationalists and tourists in recent years. Since this summer it is open to the public again! We have partially rebuilt the castle walls with modern materials and you can climb the main tower again, which is now erected in steel as an observation tower.
St. Lievensmonstertoren, Zierikzee
At St. Lievensmonster Tower, also known as the Thick Tower, you can visit cultural center Centree and enjoy live music!
The tower belonged to the fifteenth-century St. Lievensmonster church that originally stood here. In 1832, the church burned down. The only part that survived the fire was the freestanding steeple. The design of the tower was by the Flemish Master Builder Andries I Keldermans. The tower was supposed to be the tallest in the Netherlands (even higher than the Dom tower in Utrecht), but never reached its intended 130 meters. Work is currently underway to reopen the tower.
Slot Assumburg, Heemskerk
Take a free tour of the symmetrical castle garden at Slot Assumburg on Sunday, Sept. 10. This baroque garden was redesigned in 2011, based on an old copper engraving of the garden from 1729.
The Castle itself comes from the fifteenth century, when the Lord of Assumburg laid the first stones. But that is not the first structure that stood here on the site... Since the second half of the 13th century, there was already a house at this location, which had to make way for the castle. Slot Assumburg was a noble residence during the following centuries, until 1867. Then the castle stood empty.
Vestingwerken, Naarden
This year the Naarden Fortress is dedicated to 1673. It is 350 years since the exodus of the French troops and the festive entry of the State army led by Prince William lll of Orange. All kinds of activities are planned around this.
The restoration of the fortifications is still busy. Such as at Building G: part of Bastion Oranje. The former bombproof gun cellars and living quarters for men and officers are being transformed into workplaces and studios. In this way, the historic spaces once again have a social purpose for the residents of the fortress.
More activities
There is, of course, much more to experience during Open Monument Day. More information can be found on the website of the monuments themselves, on our monument page or via the website of Open Monumentendag. We wish you a lot of fun!