Princess Margriet of the Netherlands has reopened an important historical museum in Amsterdam.
The Dutch royal reopened the Dutch Resistance Museum on 1 December after a complete renovation took place on the permanent exhibit. The new features of the museum allow those with hearing and vision difficulties to learn about the Dutch resistance during the Second World War.
Margriet was welcomed to the museum by museum director Liesbeth van der Horst, the King’s Commissioner in North Holland Arthur van Dijk and Reinier van Dantzig. The group walked through sections of the building and learned about those who went into hiding and who helped and fought with the Allies.
They were also treated to a performance by Jeangu Macrooy of his song “Birth Of A New Age.”
Princess Margriet was the first person to tour the newly renovated space alongside the museum’s visually impaired adviser, Mireille de Muijnck. She was able to see how the exhibit is now more interactive, narrative and inclusive, and she was quite curious about a device used to filter Radio Oranje radio interference. Princess Margriet wanted to know how it worked and was shocked that she had not heard of it before visiting the museum.
The Princess also spoke to relatives of resistance fighters during her visit and the museum curators.
The Dutch Resistance Museum is the first of its kind in the Netherlands that allows those with visual and hearing impairments to visit completely independently.
