An Unusual All Saints’ Day: Museum of Death (and Amsterdam Monumental Cemetery)

✍️ Quote of the Day
"How we deal with death says a lot about who we are, our origins and the times in which we live."
— Museum Tot Zover

***

🔍 Event Overview;

Death is universal, but the ways we mourn, remember, and celebrate life are as diverse as cultures themselves. On All Saints’ Day, a day of memory and reflection, we’ll visit Museum Tot Zover — a unique place dedicated to how humanity approaches death, grief, and remembrance.

Located next to Amsterdam’s largest monumental cemetery, De Nieuwe Ooster, the museum creates an immersive setting where history, culture, art, and personal reflection come together.

📌 Context: while other countries mark Nov 1-2 with strong cultural and religious traditions, the Netherlands remains more discreet.

• In the Netherlands, All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen, Nov 1) honors all saints recognized by the Catholic Church. It is not a public holiday and a much more low-key day than in countries: commemorations are only hold by small Catholic communities (especially in the south of the country, such as Brabant and Limburg).
• All Souls’ Day (Allerzielen, Nov 2) carries more weight in the Netherlands: it is dedicated to remembering and praying for all the faithful departed. It is not a public holiday either, but it is when cemeteries are visited and candles are lit.

***

⚰️ Inside The Museum

Opened in 2007 and far from morbid, Museum Tot Zover sheds light on funeral rituals, symbols, and traditions from across the world. It invites us not to turn away from death, but to see it as a mirror — reflecting who we are, what we value, and how we give meaning to life.

The museum has both permanent and changing exhibitions. The permanent collection is cultural-historical in nature and includes old hair paintings, death masks, post-mortem photography, coffins, or urns. The museum is also known for its thought-provoking contemporary artistic perspectives, daring to be limitless in terms of choice of themes and approaches.

🖼️ Collections & Exhibitions the day of the visit

• Permanent exhibition organised around Farewell Rituals, The Dead Body, Mourning & Remembrance
• Temporary exhibitions such as:
  • Funeral Train (on funeral trains)
  • Afterlife (on interpretations of life after death)
  • The Pixelated Revolution (on digital memory & mourning)
  • De Vogelvanger & Post Mortem (post-mortem photography, traditions, art)

***

🤔 Why Is This an Uncommon Experience?

Visiting Museum Tot Zover on All Saints’/All Souls’ Day transforms what is usually a quiet, private moment of remembrance into a collective exploration of how cultures deal with death. Instead of only visiting a cemetery, you’ll enter a space that challenges, provokes, and broadens the conversation.

Moreover, the museum blends the personal with the cultural, the solemn with the creative: here death isn’t only about loss — it’s about history, art, rituals, identity, and even innovation.

Finally, it is the only museum in the Netherlands dedicated entirely to death and the only museum in the world located within a cemetery.

***

📅 Schedule

12:00 – 12:15 → Welcome at the entrance
12:15 – 13:45 → Museum visit
14:00 – 14:30 → Walk or coffee nearby

***

✅ Practical Details

📍 Location: Museum Tot Zover, Kruislaan 124, Amsterdam (next to De Nieuwe Ooster cemetery)
🎟️ Tickets: purchase individually here: https://tickets.totzover.nl/en/tickets

• General: €11
• Youth (13–18): €6
• Students / CJP: €6
• Free: Museumkaart, children <12, Stadspas, I amsterdam City Card, ICOM / Rembrandt, Companion

***

🤓 Learn More: Around the World All Saints’ Day / All Souls’ Day Traditions

How different countries approach All Saints’ Day / All Souls’ Day ?

1) As a major cultural & religious tradition (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Philippines, Mexico): public holiday with cemetery visits, flowers, masses. Strong food traditions in Southern Europe; Mexico’s Día de Muertos (UNESCO heritage) blends Catholic and indigenous rituals with altars, offerings, and festive color.

2) As an official but solemn holiday (France, Belgium, Austria, Catholic regions of Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Lithuania): public holiday marked by family cemetery visits and candlelit graves; atmosphere is quiet, reverent, family-oriented.

3) As an observed but not public holiday (Netherlands, Ireland, UK, U.S. & Canada in Catholic communities): modest or regional observances; Halloween is more prominent in Ireland/UK; Catholic masses kept alive in North America but not nationwide.

4) Mixed or little relevance:

• Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland): Sweden celebrates on the first Saturday of November with cemetery candles; elsewhere minimal.
• Orthodox countries (Greece, Russia, Serbia, Romania): They do not celebrate All Saints on Nov. 1. Instead, they have their own commemorations of the dead (e.g., Radonitsa in Russia, after Easter).
• Protestant countries: In general, Nov. 1 is not commemorated.