The National Holocaust Museum has been unanimously chosen by a professional jury as the Best Building of the Year 2025. “It shows courage to bring together the Schouwburg, the former school and the entrance building in a museum experience,” said former Minister of Culture Ingrid van Engelshoven, chair of the jury of Best Building of the Year.
On Thursday 5 June, the National Holocaust Museum, which opened in March 2024, received the award at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. The museum tells the story of the persecution of Jews throughout the Netherlands.
For anyone who loves the Plantagebuurt, it is now a familiar place. The museum comprises two buildings on either side of the Plantage Middenlaan, with a tram stop in between. The Hollandse Schouwburg, which was used as a collection point for the deportation of Jews during the war and has been in use as a memorial since 1961, has been renovated. The former Hervormde Kweekschool has been transformed into a museum building.
72 candidates
The election of the Best Building of the Year is an initiative of the BNA, the trade association for Dutch architectural firms. The award emphasizes the importance of architecture and good clientship for society, culture and the economy. For the twentieth edition, the jury assessed 72 submitted projects, divided into four categories. The election of the National Holocaust Museum was unanimous. The Amsterdam architectural firm Office Winhov took on this major challenge on behalf of the Jewish Cultural Quarter, and with success!
Photo: Thijs Wolzak