Kazerne Dossin
Kazerne Dossin
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
536 reviews
Excellent
302
Very good
189
Average
33
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9
Terrible
3
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Abande N
3 contributions
Mar 2024 • Friends
The Dossin barracks is a beautiful museum full of important stories from the past. It was really interesting and the guide made it even better. I would say the tour was quite long with the stories but it was worth it and I also learned a lot of things I didn't know before. You must visit this place if you visit Mechelen.
Written 22 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hanne
Leuven, Belgium2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
A very catchy and pleasant experience!
We went here with our class as an excursion, and we also had a guide. The guide was very interesting and friendly. It would also be easy to do without a guide because there is the necessary information and listening fragments everywhere. All in all, I learned a lot and it is definitely worth it.
We went here with our class as an excursion, and we also had a guide. The guide was very interesting and friendly. It would also be easy to do without a guide because there is the necessary information and listening fragments everywhere. All in all, I learned a lot and it is definitely worth it.
Written 16 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Uma W
1 contribution
May 2024 • Friends
I thought it was a very nice visit, it was interesting and worth it. it was nice to have a good guide who told interesting information in an interesting way and made the visit even more interesting. It was also an interesting video that was a nice addition to the experience and it immediately provided clarity about what you will learn during the visit. and the real evidence of the past is also very interesting, I thought it was a nice visit and I would definitely return with my family!
Written 14 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Phil369
Herstal, Belgium136 contributions
Apr 2014 • Family
This is a very meaningful place indeed. Very easy to reach on public transportation (30 minutes by train from Antwerp or Brussels for example). Not far from the very beautiful Market Square (where the infamous flag of the nationalist party NVA is currently flying more than ever). The museum is a must for people of any age (let's say from 15). It tells us about the Holocaust (in a mix of objects on display, efficient videos and pictures. But it is much more than that - it tells you about the importance of Human Rights all over the world in different periods of History - Apartheid and Segregation, Tien An Men Square and so on. You'll need at least four hours to visit the museum (four floors). One of the walls displays pictures of all the Jews who were deported from Mechelen to Auschwitz (the pictures having diferent colours depending on the fate of those involved). Moving beyond words. To make the visit complete, you should absolutely go to the Memorial (just across the street in the Kazerne itself) and have a look at the inner court where everything began or ended. Pedagogically very effective for young and old...
Written 5 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Colin B
Gold Coast, Australia156 contributions
Sept 2019
Mechelen was the deportion centre for Belgium. A branch rail line was built for the deportees to be taken to concentration camps. The actual building used is opposite the Kazerne Dossin which is a architecturally great museum. This museum is a very solemn monument to the horrors of WWII and the dreadful deportation of Jews, Gypsies and Gays. You can view the actual deportation building and courtyard from a balcony in the museum. The museum shines a light on these atrocities. It is well located a short stroll from the Grote Markt in Mechelen.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Geoffrey E
St. Catharines, Canada619 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
This is a very expansive site with a very extensive collection. The current temporary exhibit is about the portrayal of the Holocaust in comic strips and how that art form has been able to represent that event.
There are a lot of things to see here - easily a half-day if you’re interested.
There are a lot of things to see here - easily a half-day if you’re interested.
Written 21 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nate R
Sycamore, IL528 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
Tribute to the Jews of Belgium who were sent from this old army barracks to various slave camps and for the grand majority, their death. The newer, taller building hosts art shows, but I found the actual museum across the street much more interesting. You have to walk into a more nondescript building and follow the signs. No one else was in it when we entered so it felt like we were intruding...it was hard to read the personal stories and even the letters written right before arrests. Definitely worth the time.
Written 1 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffrey Z
The Hague, The Netherlands341 contributions
Apr 2018 • Solo
I was in Mechelen whilst my partner was at a business meeting, so I went along to visit this stunning museum. It is the Belgium’s holocaust museum but pays tribute to all those that also fought against the Nazis, like the resistance and political prisoners.
The Nazis rounded up thousands of Jews and Roma people from all corners of Belgium.
It’s a fitting tribute, it starts with the document process starting and then onto the transports etc. it is beautiful laid out, well set out to read about the people, their history etc.
If you in or around Mechelen this is well worth the visit. Even a day trip is on the cards as Mechelen is stunning.
Well worth the visit. Was very happy to see it.
The Nazis rounded up thousands of Jews and Roma people from all corners of Belgium.
It’s a fitting tribute, it starts with the document process starting and then onto the transports etc. it is beautiful laid out, well set out to read about the people, their history etc.
If you in or around Mechelen this is well worth the visit. Even a day trip is on the cards as Mechelen is stunning.
Well worth the visit. Was very happy to see it.
Written 24 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Trainbleu
Brussels, Belgium38,127 contributions
Nov 2015 • Solo
The "Kazerne Dossin" wasn't at all what I expected. The museum isn’t situated in the former Dossin Barracks where people were gathered before being taken to the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau by trains leaving just outside. The former barracks have been converted into fancy housing and there is only a small memorial site in the basement and a commemorative plaque on the wall outside. The museum itself is situated in a four-storey white building by Belgian star architect Bob Van Reeth, providing a strangely aseptic environment for the exhibits. Apart from offering a panorama of Mechelen, the fourth floor allows a view into the courtyard of the former barracks.
The exhibits, mainly photographic material and videos, are ordered in a thematic way by floor. On the ground floor there are two short films providing some background. “Mass” on the first floor retraces the history of Germany in the period 1918-1940 and paints the situation of Jewish citizens and businesses in Belgium before the Second World War “Fear” is the theme of the second floor where pictures and videos document the persecution of Jews, confiscations, arrests and captivity. The third floor is dedicated to the transports from the Dossin Barracks. Together with the pictures, the survival statistics (3 out 999, 0 out of 1000 …) are truly heart-wrenching. The sadness deepens when the visitor is confronted with the fate of the ghettos in Eastern Europe and the extermination of disabled and mentally ill people. For those who have already visited concentration camp sites and Jewish musea elsewhere and have read about the subject, a lot of what is shown should be familiar.
The entrance fee of 10€ includes a visitor’s guide (available in English) containing a numbered description of the photographic material and an audio guide for the ground floor. As the museum is huge, there is an awful lot to take in and you will you need at least three hours to visit it. I started reading the explanation of every picture and didn’t manage to finish before closing time.
For me, the most poignant part of the museum was the huge picture wall spanning several floors, composed of black and white identity photographs representing the staggering number of over 25 000 men, women and children deported from Dossin. Only some of the pictures have a hue of colour: these are the about 5% survivors. On the whole, this museum has more of a didactic character; it didn't leave the same lasting impression as places like the Risiera di San Sabbia near Trieste in Italy or concentration camps sites all over Europe.
Visitors who don’t like elevators should be aware that the glass and metal see-through stairs might provide an even scarier alternative. From Mechelen railway station I walked to the museum along the Dijle river (about 2 km) but it was not a very interesting walk. A better alternative is to take bus 500 (direction “Antwerpen-Boom-Rumst”) at the station and get off at Nokerstraat. A direct train to Mechelen-Nekkerspoel takes you within 1 km from the museum.
The exhibits, mainly photographic material and videos, are ordered in a thematic way by floor. On the ground floor there are two short films providing some background. “Mass” on the first floor retraces the history of Germany in the period 1918-1940 and paints the situation of Jewish citizens and businesses in Belgium before the Second World War “Fear” is the theme of the second floor where pictures and videos document the persecution of Jews, confiscations, arrests and captivity. The third floor is dedicated to the transports from the Dossin Barracks. Together with the pictures, the survival statistics (3 out 999, 0 out of 1000 …) are truly heart-wrenching. The sadness deepens when the visitor is confronted with the fate of the ghettos in Eastern Europe and the extermination of disabled and mentally ill people. For those who have already visited concentration camp sites and Jewish musea elsewhere and have read about the subject, a lot of what is shown should be familiar.
The entrance fee of 10€ includes a visitor’s guide (available in English) containing a numbered description of the photographic material and an audio guide for the ground floor. As the museum is huge, there is an awful lot to take in and you will you need at least three hours to visit it. I started reading the explanation of every picture and didn’t manage to finish before closing time.
For me, the most poignant part of the museum was the huge picture wall spanning several floors, composed of black and white identity photographs representing the staggering number of over 25 000 men, women and children deported from Dossin. Only some of the pictures have a hue of colour: these are the about 5% survivors. On the whole, this museum has more of a didactic character; it didn't leave the same lasting impression as places like the Risiera di San Sabbia near Trieste in Italy or concentration camps sites all over Europe.
Visitors who don’t like elevators should be aware that the glass and metal see-through stairs might provide an even scarier alternative. From Mechelen railway station I walked to the museum along the Dijle river (about 2 km) but it was not a very interesting walk. A better alternative is to take bus 500 (direction “Antwerpen-Boom-Rumst”) at the station and get off at Nokerstraat. A direct train to Mechelen-Nekkerspoel takes you within 1 km from the museum.
Written 2 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
flemish01
Savannah, GA274 contributions
Sept 2015 • Solo
This museum holds so many memories within its walls that it engulfs visitors with solitude and respect.
Located in 18th century barracks, the museum was once the transit center for Jews during WWII to be transported to the concentration camps.
The exhibit is both beautiful, respectful and heartbreaking.
Highly recommended during your visit!!!
Located in 18th century barracks, the museum was once the transit center for Jews during WWII to be transported to the concentration camps.
The exhibit is both beautiful, respectful and heartbreaking.
Highly recommended during your visit!!!
Written 13 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
They were taken to German destruction & work camps, such as Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Bora Bora. Here, if you were healthy you had to work in the most bad circumstances or they went to the gaschambers.
Written 3 December 2018
What are the opening hours in November please.
Written 8 October 2018
Dear typetalkjane,
Kazerne Dossin is open in november from monday to friday from 9h00 till 17h00. ! Closed on wednesday. In weekends open from 9h30 till 17h00.
Kind regards
Written 8 October 2018
How do I get there by public transport from Mechelen station?
Written 20 March 2015
Kazerne Dossin
Mechelen, Belgium
If you get off at Mechelen station (2 km from the museum), take bus number 500 (in the direction of Antwerp-Boom-Rumst), bus number 2 (in the direction of Tivoli) or bus number 5 (in the direction of Tivoli). Get off at the Frederik de Merodestraat bus stop. After about 50m you turn left into the first street: Jodenstraat. Walk to the end of this street. Turn right into Goswin de Stassartstraat. After 100m, you’ll find Kazerne Dossin at your left-hand side.
Written 23 March 2015
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