For one weekend, European Heritage Days gives locals, internationals and tourists the opportunity to see thousands of monuments and historical sites for free! The Netherlands is full of World Heritage Monuments, so this is a must for anyone even remotely interested in heritage and history!

About the European Heritage Days

Occurring annually in the Netherlands since 1987, the European Heritage Days (known locally as Open Monumentendag) encourages locals and visitors alike to explore the richness of the European cultural legacy by visiting the numerous historic sites around Europe. More than 4.000 historical buildings and sites, many of which are normally closed or have restricted access, will open their doors to the public free of charge.

Monuments and programme

Besides the possibility to visit individual monuments for free, the European Heritage Days also presents a surprising programme with walks, boat trips on the canals, concerts, lectures, an evening programme and special children’s attractions. This year, a special corona-proof version will be taking place.

Many locations will organise on-site activities like exhibitions, musical performances and guided tours. European Heritage Days happenings are not limited to traditional sites like museums and historic Dutch windmills: areas of interest also include landscape heritage, including national parks, public spaces and significant architectural developments.

The acoustics of many of the buildings make for spine-tingling sounds, so the occasion calls for music. Live concerts will enchant visitors all over the country during the event. You'll find that many of the monuments in the Netherlands are equally as easy on the ears as on the eyes.

European Heritage Days theme 2020

The theme of the 2020 European Heritage Days is "Learning Monument", with a focus on people and their way of learning as they enjoy the cultural life of the Netherlands over the years, decades and centuries, in all its many shapes and forms, from theatres to museums and from sports facilities to hotels and restaurants.

Each Dutch city goes about celebrating European Heritage Days | Open Monumentendag in a different way. The local committees in Amsterdam and Leiden, for example, will be offering an English-language programme. 

Popular open days in the Netherlands in autumn

Other popular open days in the Netherlands in autumn include The Hague International Open Day and Open House | European Space Agency.