Persmuseum

The former Nederlands Persmuseum (Dutch Press Museum) in Amsterdam-Oost was dedicated to the 400-year history of Dutch print media. Founded in 1902 by the journalist D. A. van Waalwijk, who had assembled a significant collection of newspapers and magazines, the institution grew into a central archive for the history of the press. After several moves, the museum found a permanent home in 2001 in the building of the International Institute of Social History on Cruquiusweg. There it offered visitors and researchers a climate-controlled storage area, an extensive library of new and antiquarian books, as well as restoration rooms and event spaces.

At the heart of the collection were newspapers and magazines from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with each title having its own dossier of historical issues and layout changes. This was complemented by an archive of biographies of around five thousand Dutch journalists. Each year the museum presented several special exhibitions that explored topics such as freedom of the press, censorship, and the role of the media in a democracy. Well-known presentations included the exhibition "No Pictures," on secret photographs. In addition to its work as a museum, the building offered workshops for various age groups and even organized birthday parties for children.

In 2012, the Dutch government's cultural advisory board recommended a merger with the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, since the museum no longer fit within the state's basic funding structure. The merger took effect in early 2017, after which the staff moved to Hilversum and the museum in Amsterdam closed its doors.