Corrie ten Boom House, Haarlem, Netherlands

This is the family home and setting upon which the book "The Hiding Place" is based. During our first camping trip in Europe we tried visiting a couple of times, but it was first come, first served. The line was so long that we did not expect to get in. For our second trip, we utilized their new online reservation system for their tours, which are offered according to language with a few English tours per day. Admission is free, but reservations must be made months in advance.

After the 20-minute train ride from Amsterdam to Haarlem, we enjoyed getting reacquainted with the streets of this lovely Dutch town. 

For the full story of this trip and our first, much longer adventure in a motorhome, see my book 

Ramblings & Roundabouts on Amazon

Above is the exterior of the Corrie ten Boom House where three generations of the ten Boom family lived from 1837 to 1945. While the Nazis occupied the Netherlands during WWII, this Christian family risked their lives to hide Jews and help them escape. Photo found online.

My husband and I were surprised by how small the hiding place actually was, shown above in the wall of a bedroom. Six people standing could fit in the hiding place. Above and below photos found online.

Here Corrie ten Boom herself is showing the crawl space that allowed access to the hiding place behind the wall. 

I found the silhouettes displayed in the hiding place helpful in trying to imagine what it must have been like to hide there. Visitors are allowed to step into the hiding place for a sobering experience. 

After our tour, we walked down the street and stopped for a warm drink to contemplate the dark times of the persecution of the Jews during WWII. This is one of the best museum tours we have ever taken. Highly recommended!