Oranjehotel WWII Prison Entry Ticket in The Hague

The Oranjehotel: Scheveningen prison in wartime

During the German occupation of the Netherlands from 1940 to 1945, the prison in Scheveningen became the main place of detention for people the occupiers considered a threat: members of the resistance, people who had hidden others, Jews, communists, black-market traders and those who simply spoke out. Tens of thousands passed through its gates, held for interrogation and trial before release, deportation to camps or execution.

Dutch people soon gave it an ironic nickname, the Oranjehotel, because so many of its prisoners were loyal to the House of Orange, the exiled Dutch royal family. The name stuck, and after the war the remaining wing became a place of remembrance. Is the Oranjehotel worth visiting? For anyone who wants to understand the wartime Netherlands, it is one of the most powerful memorials in the country.

The cell corridor and the death cell 601

The visit leads you through the original cell corridor, where heavy doors open onto narrow rooms that held one or several prisoners at a time. Scratched marks and messages left by prisoners, along with the bare furniture, give a sense of the isolation, hunger and uncertainty they faced, often for months without knowing their fate.

The emotional centre of the memorial is Cell 601, the death cell, where prisoners sentenced to death spent their final hours before being taken to the dunes nearby to be executed. The cell has been preserved as it was, and the audio guide tells the stories of some of the men who waited there, including the letters they wrote to their families. Most visitors stand here in silence.

The exhibition: stories of injustice, hope and liberation

A modern exhibition brings the history to life with documents, photographs, objects and interviews. You learn how the prison worked, how the resistance grew, and how imprisonment disrupted families and left consequences long after liberation. The audio guide combines personal accounts with historical background, so the visit feels like a conversation with the people who lived through it.

Alongside stories of fear and injustice, you hear of solidarity, faith and hope: prisoners tapping messages through walls, smuggled letters, and the courage of those who kept resisting. Allow at least an hour for the exhibition and the corridor together. Many visitors find it helpful to sit quietly for a few minutes at the end before continuing their day.

Visiting the Oranjehotel in Scheveningen

The memorial stands at Van Alkemadelaan 1258 in the Scheveningen district of The Hague, close to the dunes where many prisoners were executed and where a national memorial site still marks the place. If you are wondering how to get to the Oranjehotel, it is a short taxi or bus ride from the centre of The Hague, and it combines easily with an afternoon at Scheveningen beach.

Oranjehotel tickets are sold with timed entry slots, currently from 10:30 to 15:30, from Tuesday to Sunday. The best time to visit the Oranjehotel is a weekday morning, when the corridor is calm and you can listen to the audio stories without hurry. Please keep a respectful tone throughout, as this is a place of remembrance.