historic museum haarlem

Went to Haarlem from Amsterdam Central for a day's shopping.Train took approx 30 mins and trains both ways were on time.When we arrived in Haarlem proceeded to town centre where we where impressed to see people dressed up in Victorian costume,A brass band and wonderful xmas markets

A nicely laid out museum but there is very little English translation of most of the exhibits. There is an introductory film of the history of Haarlem which is shown in English but very little else.

A very enlightening explanation of the history of Haarlem was given to us by a man whom we could sense was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Haarlem. Thank you, sir for your time and the excellent history lesson which was given all in English.

This is a nice museum, we enjoyed it a lot. It was a little crowded the day we went but it made us slow down and enjoy it more instead of trying to rush through and get on to the next museum. They have a great variety of artifacts, great rock collection and beautiful artwork

Small and eclectic museum with friendly staff. We watched the introductory film which told us about the history of Haarlem, and we viewed the temporary exhibition of portraits by Kees Verwey and a small exhibition on influential women. There was little information in English but one of the staff gave us some handouts. I was expecting there to be more general information on the history of Haarlem so it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

We visited this museum because it was right down the street from the Frans Hals Museum and because the admission fee was included in our Museumkaart. I think Dutch people would appreciate this museum more than tourists. There was a special exhibit about Dutch women when we were there and I had only ever heard of a few of them. All the signage was in Dutch, so I did not learn anything about any of them. The women at the front desk were very nice and friendly and were appreciative that we had visited the museum.

Attractive mix of displays and exhibitions. Some English language information available, and introductory film can be shown in English (don't miss it for the surprise special effects).

I usually enjoy visiting museums in any town or city I visit, however I didn't find this museum particularly interesting. There are only a few rooms on the ground floor with artefacts relating to the actual history of Haarlem that I am assuming comprise the permanent display. There is a short introductory video on the history of Haarlem, however you will need to ask the staff to play it in English. The signage in general was minimal and we were given an English handout that was difficult to follow. On the ground floor there was a temporary display about a local artist and not much to view on the top floor. There were free lockers for bags / coats and toilets available. Photos were allowed.

A good museum, which usually has exhibits that appeal mainly to locals. Nice to visit in combination with Frans Hals museum.

This museum is compact and cute. The short movie has an English version. Just ask the museum staff to choose that for you if you do not understand Dutch. The movie shows a history of Haarlem with a unique 3-D animation. It is a highlight of this compact museum in my view. The staff were very friendly and helpful. I enjoyed my visit there.

The Historic Museum is more or less opposite the famous Frans Hals Museum so if you have some time to spare you can hop in.There is not much on the history of Haarlem, it seems that what they got they just put in without any overall thought like you would see in the Historic Museum in Amsterdam. There is probably a lack of funding. The displays are a bit poor, especially the ones on the 1st floor with children’s toys, which seem to be thrown in at random. What a pity.The information texts are in Dutch only. There is a short movie on the history which is sort of nice.The museum has temporary exhibitions of which I saw one on Anton Heyboer, who is “world” famous in Holland. But more for the crazy lifestyle he had then for his artwork.

This cosy museum has a small but very informative exhibition on the history of Haarlem, a short movie with effects outside of the screen provides a nice brief introduction in both Dutch and English. Apart from the regulary exhibition two temporary exhibitions are currently presented. One on the painter Anton Heyboer, it features eary works from his Haarlem period. A smaller exhibition shows a toy collection with toys ranging from the 1750's until the 1970's. The staff is very friendly and the diversity of topics makes that everyone finds something he/she likes. And the museum is easy to find, right across the Frans Hals museum.

The museum is located in a former hospital, and the name of the hospital is still above the entrance door. The main collection is labelled mostly in Dutch, while the temporary exhibitions include English. Visitors can borrow information booklets in English, but if you don't want to read you should watch the movie first and walk around afterwards.This museum has a short 15 minute film (it is in Dutch or English) about the history of Haarlem that gives you great background information for a walk through town or a stroll along the paintings in the Frans Hals museum across the street. If you are combining your day with a visit to the Frans Hals, don't forget to ask for the combi-ticket, which gives you a discount. They have an old tower clock by Haarlem clock maker Pieter Klock and an old lockbox from the local children's orphanage. An odd exhibit is the model of the Great Bavo church made of matchsticks.

There are a lot of objects displayed at the museum, but unfortunately the comments are not in english, so if you're not a Dutch-speaker, you'll have no idea what you're looking at. What you do get is a guide through the museum, but it only presents Haarlem's history and it doesn't connect the story to the objects. However, you do get a rough picture of historical Haarlem.Free for students, that's a plus.

we actually went in to shelter from the rain, but there is a nice display of archeological work and findings telling the story of the area and its development through the ages. Sadly a lot of it had no English translation, but it was surprisingly well laid out, with digging areas for the kids to experience archeology! Its free too, which always helps!