At first, the exhibits seem tacky, but the farther in I go, the more I lose myself in the exhibits' content. I am depressed and uplifted simultaneously. We budget an hour and spend two. In the main exhibit hall, the quality improves considerably. Descriptions are in English. The exhibits cover everything from early cooperation to eventual widespread resistance. I wish that those who don't understand what's going on in Iraq could see this. Maybe they would understand the nature of resistance to an invader better.

At first, the Germans treated the Dutch as possible collaborators, to the extent even that a volunteer Dutch regiment was formed to fight on the Eastern Front. The Germans thought that the Dutch would be sympathetic. A political party urging loyalty to the German occupiers, Nederlandse Unie-NU (the Netherlands Union), was established and millions of Dutch paid their dues and joined. Things started to break down when the Germans started arresting Jews. Dutch labor leaders called for a successful 1-day work stoppage. Events went downhill from there. I am especially fascinated with the exhibits showing what daily life was like during the occupation and how people hid their resistance activities.

The temporary exhibit entitled "World War II in the West: Suriname, The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba" is particularly interesting. These Dutch possessions were never occupied and contributed to the Allied war effort. This is all new information to me.

While I don't expect everyone to share my interests, if you are at all interested in WW II, the treatment of Jews in the Netherlands during the war, or how average people coped with the occupation, you will enjoy this museum.