All Medieval art & Early Renaissance art museums to visit in the Netherlands

Discover the artistic treasures of the past at 30 museums in the Netherlands dedicated to medieval and early Renaissance art. These museums showcase masterpieces from a pivotal era in art history.

Are you captivated by medieval and Renaissance art? Here are the best museums to visit in the Netherlands:

  1. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen1

    Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

     Rotterdam
    A visit to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is a journey through the history of art. Dutch and European masterpieces provide a comprehensive survey of art from the early Middle Ages to the 21st century, from Bosch, Rembrandt and Van Gogh to Dalí and Dutch Design.
  2. Muiderslot2

    Muiderslot

     Muiden
    The Muiderslot from 1285 is a medieval moated castle. It is a square castle with five towers, battlements, embrasures and a drawbridge. One of the inhabitants of the castle was the Dutch writer and poet Pieter Cornelis Hooft, who lived there in the seventeeth century. The visitor is taken back in ti
  3. H´ART Museum3

    H´ART Museum

     Amsterdam
    The H'ART Museum in Amsterdam is a captivating haven for art enthusiasts and cultural connoisseurs alike. Explore collections of famous art and stories from around the world in a unique blend of exhibitions spanning from antiquity to today, and connecting the art world in a whole new way. Located
  4. Museum Catharijneconvent4

    Museum Catharijneconvent

     Utrecht
    Museum Catharijneconvent is housed in a medieval monastery from the 15th century. It is dedicated to the past and present of Christianity in the Netherlands. The museum exhibits old and contemporary art, and various other objects that illustrate the story of Christianity. The permanent collection is
  5. Bonnefanten Museum5

    Bonnefanten Museum

     Maastricht
    Bonnefanten: surprisingly distinctive in ancient and contemporary art. Alongside modern and contemporary art, old masters find their place in the iconic building designed by the Italian architect Aldo Rossi. The Bonnefanten museum tells stories through the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions
  6. Museum Gouda6

    Museum Gouda

     Gouda
    Museum Gouda recounts the history of this wonderful city. You will see, among other things, unique sixteenth century altarpieces, seventeenth century civic guard group portraits and Gouda pottery, which is famous all over the world. The museum is located in an old hospital, the Catharina Gasthuis. T
  7. Limburgs Museum7

    Limburgs Museum

     Venlo
    At the Limburgs Museum in Venlo, discover how the history of the Netherlands began thousands of years ago. This is where the first people and farmers settled. With interactive exhibitions, events and the best stories for young and old, the museum brings the history and culture of Limburg to life. Wh
  8. Fries Museum8

    Fries Museum

     Leeuwarden
    The Fries Museum is dedicated to Friesland and its inhabitants. In the museum the story of the countryside and the eleven cities is told, the dealing with water and the search for the typical Frisian. The collection includes contemporary art, archaeological finds, old costumes, the sword of freedom
  9. Oude Kerk9

    Oude Kerk

     Amsterdam
    The Oude Kerk is the oldest building of Amsterdam and youngest place for contemporary art. Inside you can see site specific art exhibitions, period rooms and an impressive tombstone floor. The wife and muse of Rembrandt van Rijn, is one of the thousands of people who lies buried in the Oude Kerk
  10. Valkhof Museum10

    Valkhof Museum

     Nijmegen
    What over the centuries has made us who we are? With a collection stretching back more than 14,000 years, we can provide part of an answer to that question, and when we do not know the answer, there are always still the interpretations that you can find in the earlier, modern and contemporary art fr
  11. Stedelijk Museum Kampen11

    Stedelijk Museum Kampen

     Kampen
    The Stedelijk Museum Kampen is housed in the old town hall in Kampen. It has a collection that consists of four main themes: law, religion, water, and the House of Orange-Nassau. Important in the museum is the ‘Schepenzaal’ or 'Magistrate Hall' from 1545, in which is shown how law was practised in t
  12. Museum Klok & Peel12

    Museum Klok & Peel

     Asten
    The Klok & Peel Museum’s collection consists of two subcollections: a collection of carillons and a natural history collection. The museum has the largest collection of carillons in the world. The museum covers all clock-related themes. Clocks from all over the world are exhibited in the great hall.
  13. preHistorisch Dorp13

    preHistorisch Dorp

     Eindhoven
    This open air museum, located in the vast Genneper Parken, shows how life in the Netherlands has been over a period of 10,000 years. Starting from the Stone Age, moving on to the Iron Age, visitors can explore dwellings, tools and other structures that have been reconstructed using the same material
  14. Maelwael Van Lymborch House14

    Maelwael Van Lymborch House

     Nijmegen
    This little museum is dedicated to the famous Van Lymborch (Limbourg) Brothers and their uncle Johan Maelwael who used to have their studio here around the year 1400. The Van Lymborch Brothers were famous dutch medieval miniature painters. Johan Maelwael is the first Dutch painter we know by name an
  15. Slot Zuylen15

    Slot Zuylen

     Oud-Zuilen
    Slot Zuylen is a medieval castle that was rebuilt into a manor house in the 18th century. The most famous inhabitant of the castle was the Dutch writer and composer Belle van Zuylen. A guide leads visitors around the rooms of the castle, including the dining room, the guest room, the kitchen and the
  16. Museum aan de A16

    Museum aan de A

     Groningen
    Museum aan de A (the former Noordelijk Scheepvaartmuseum) is housed in two medieval buildings. The museum illustrates the history of Groningen and the Groningers.
  17. Rijksmuseum Twenthe17

    Rijksmuseum Twenthe

     Enschede
    Rijksmuseum Twente is a museum of old and modern art and applied art. Works from the Middle Ages to the present day are on display in the museum. The collection consists of more than eight thousand pieces. There are about ten exhibitions each year, based on the permanent collection. There is a typic
  18. Allard Pierson18

    Allard Pierson

     Amsterdam
    In the Allard Pierson you discover the heritage collections of the University of Amsterdam. The permanent presentation, ‘From the Nile to the Amstel’, invites visitors on a journey through 10,000 years of cultural history. The presentation starts in ancient Egypt and, once renovations are completed,
  19. Saint Joseph Church19

    Saint Joseph Church

     Leiden
    Exhibitions are regularly held in the side aisles of St. Joseph's Church in Leiden. Exhibitions in recent years have included: 'On the Road to Damascus: The Beginning of a New Life' (2009), 'The Shroud of Turin' (2017), 'Mother Teresa: Her Life, Work, and Spirituality' (2018), the Icon Exhibition Pa
  20. Museum City Castle Zaltbommel20

    Museum City Castle Zaltbommel

     Zaltbommel
    Stadskasteel Zaltbommel is a monumental building from 1535 located in the city centre. On the ground floor, the museum illustrates the 16th century history of the ‘Bommelerwaard’. On the first floor paintings, Art Nouveau style copper works and various kinds of furniture are displayed. The museum al
  21. Stadhuismuseum Zierikzee21

    Stadhuismuseum Zierikzee

     Zierikzee
    Housed in the former city hall of Zierikzee, the Stadhuismuseum conveys the story of the monumental city of Zierikzee and her surroundings. The building and the collection showcase the historic affluence of this city. From Zierikzee’s former seaport a lively trade in salt and madder took place with
  22. Museum Møhlmann22

    Museum Møhlmann

     Appingedam
    Museum Møhlmann is a private museum. The museum exhibits a collection of realistic and figurative art by known and lesser known artists. There are several permanent exhibitions in the museum. Besides works by Rob Møhlmann himself, the museum exhibits works by contemporary figuratives and realists. T
  23. Museum No Hero23

    Museum No Hero

     Delden
    On April 15, an entirely new art museum opened its doors to the public: Museum No Hero. Housed in a historic building in the town of Delden, surrounded by a beautiful garden. Nine exhibition rooms, filled with a beautiful selection of paintings, sculptures, furniture and the occasional clock, show y
  24. The Historical Museum of The Hague24

    The Historical Museum of The Hague

     The Hague
    The Historical Museum of The Hague is housed in a building from 1636 that was built for the gunners of the St. Sebastian's Guild. The museum is dedicated to the history of The Hague. The permanent collection includes paintings such as cityscapes from 1553 and silver and glass objects. In addition, t
  25. Buitenplaats Beeckestijn25

    Buitenplaats Beeckestijn

     Velsen-Zuid
    Enter the most beautiful 'country house of Amsterdam'. Beeckestijn is one of the few large 18th-century estates in Kennemerland that has been preserved in its entirety. Rich Amsterdammers spent their summers at this imposing estate with its showy façade in the Louis XIV style, which features the pa
  26. Zandverhalen26

    Zandverhalen

     Elburg
    Sand Stories is the largest covered exhibition of sand sculptures in the world. In three large halls, with more than 300 sand sculptures, the story of our culture of Bibles and fishing boats comes to life, and this exhibition shows the areas of tension between the past and present. Dozens of stori
  27. Museum of Egmond27

    Museum of Egmond

     Egmond aan Zee
    Museum van Egmond is the cultural history museum of Egmond. Life of people around 1900 near the sea. Beautiful paintings.
  28. Oude Kerk28

    Oude Kerk

     Delft
    The Oude Kerk in Delft is one of the two large old churches in Delft, in the Dutch province of South Holland; the other large old church in Delft is the Nieuwe Kerk. The Oude Kerk dates from 1246.
  29. Museum Het Belfort29

    Museum Het Belfort

     Sluis
    In the cozy center of the Zeeland-Flemish merchant town of Sluis stands the Belfry, the only one in the Netherlands. The Belfry of Sluis was built in the 14th-15th century. A belfry is originally a medieval, Flemish tower with bells that were rung at important events, such as a fire, the approach of
  30. Museum The former monastery of Aduard30

    Museum The former monastery of Aduard

     Aduard
    The museum is dedicated to the former St Bernard’s Abbey of Aduard, in its time (1192-1595) the biggest (Cistercian) cloister in The Netherlands. The museum shows many archaeological finds and a scale model of the complete convent. A movie is shown in which the process of reconstruction is detailed