Teylers Museum: A Family-Friendly Journey Through Art and Science in Haarlem

One of the first things I did when we moved to Haarlem, Netherlands was look up the museums to visit. With our nifty Dutch Museumkaart in hand, we were ready to get out and see them all and the Teylers Museum, Netherland’s oldest museum, was one of the first on the list.

Welcoming visitors since 1784, this museum in Haarlem is a historical gem with a gorgeous collection that has remained largely unchanged since the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Looking for cool things to do in Haarlem? Don’t miss Teylers Museum:

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Basic Info

Address: Spaarne 16, Haarlem, Netherlands
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00am ~ 5:00pm
Admission: Adults: €16.50; Children 6-17: €2.50; Children 5 and under: Free
- Purchase tickets in advance on Get Your Guide
- Free for: Museum card, Friends of Teylers Museum,
  I Amsterdam City Card, Rembrandt Association,
  ICOM, HaarlemPas, FriendsLoterij VIP card, NVON,
  Sotheby’s preferred card holders
Website: https://www.teylersmuseum.nl/

The Legacy of Pieter Teyler

Named in honor of Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, a prominent Haarlem banker and silk manufacturer, the museum reflects his Enlightenment-era zeal for the arts and sciences. Teyler’s legacy, encapsulated in his will, was to use his wealth to foster both arts and sciences and thankfully it has been upheld.

Step inside to find artifacts, books, scientific instruments, fossils, and minerals creating a beautiful collection that combines the arts and sciences.

A rich and diverse collection

The Teylers Museum has an eclectic collection with something for everyone. Housing an array of fossils, minerals, scientific instruments, coins, medals, and artwork from masters like Rembrandt and Michelangelo, the museum is a treasure trove of history and culture.

Did you know: When the fossil wing opened in 1885, it was considered ultramodern. The origin of species was causing an uproar and Darwin’s new theory of evolution was particularly shocking.

Look for the skull of a woolly mammoth. It was the first mammoth skull found in the Netherlands in 1820. You can also see a primeval bird, which may not look like much, but it’s world famous because it is the earliest bird-like creature that is halfway between a bird and a feathered dinosaur. Teylers Museum has the only specimen of its kind outside of Asia and it’s been here since 1860.

The museum is like stepping into a living encyclopedia. We spent quite a bit of time perusing the amazing fossil collection before stepping into a room with a gorgeously large electrostatic generator with Leyden jars.

The museum’s past as a hub for scientific research and innovation is noteworthy, with Nobel laureate Hendrik Antoon Lorentz conducting experiments here. Everything that you see on display in the Instrument Room was originally used for research and demonstrations.

Did you know: The large electrostatic generator put this museum on the map of the international science world and because of that people including Napoleon in 1811 came to see it.

There were so many cool electrically charged items to peruse which then leads into a great art collection. Something for everyone.

From the instruments to the rocks and mineral collection, coins, next you find the first and second picture galleries. In the 1820s, Teylers Museum started purchasing contemporary art to help artists rise to the heights of a new Golden Age. The First Picture Gallery in Teylers, opened in 1839, became the Netherlands’ first gallery of contemporary art.

The museum purchased thousands of paintings and drawings from Old Masters like Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Raphael, and Goltzius. The Second Picture Gallery, opened in 1893, was the real beauty when we stepped in. Built like a Parisian salon, there’s a gorgeous velvet sofa in the center to sit and enjoy the paintings that hang everywhere.

One of our favorite paintings was “The Garden” by Van Looy. In fitting with the French salon style, it looks like French Impressionism at its finest, but it’s a Dutch painting, and a beautiful one at that.

Enjoying the architecture from the Oval Room and Beyond

The heart of the museum is the Oval Room, an architectural marvel dating back to 1779 and designed by Leendert Viervant. A splendid example of Neo-classical architecture, this room houses an impressive mineralogical collection and showcases scientific instruments from the 18th century. The room itself is worthy of a stop just to enjoy the surroundings.

The museum expanded in the 19th century, adding painting galleries and a new entrance on the Spaarne. Today, it’s a fairly substantial collection of buildings with the collection, galleries, museum shop, and multimedia room.

How to enjoy Teylers Museum with kids

The Teylers Museum isn’t just a fantastic collection of scientific and artistic relics for adults, but they have some great kid-friendly materials and programs to take advantage of. Don’t be surprised if your kids want to spend a couple hours looking closely at the smallest of fossils, or the largest of paintings.

Don’t Miss:

Free treasure hunt. Make sure to pick it up at the entrance. It’s only available in Dutch, but if you don’t speak or read Dutch, make translating and deciphering the clues part of the game. They have different options for different ages. You can also check these out online if you want to see what you’re in for before you go.
- Tinus and Rat (8-12 years): A cat and a rat live in Pieter Teylers House. Help Tinus to find Rat and discover the most beautiful rooms in the house.
- Along animals and things (5-7 years): In Teylers Museum you can explore together. With this quick scavenger hunt you can visit everywhere. Suitable for anyone who can just read.
- Through the eyes of Napoleon (8-12 years): Emperor Napoleon came to Teylers Museum in 1811. With this treasure hunt you visit the rooms, instruments and other things that were important to him.
The free audio tour and a Multimedia Room to deepen visitors’ understanding of the exhibits.

Pieter Teylers House: A new addition

The recent opening of the Pieter Teylers House, the museum founder’s former residence, offers visitors an intimate look into 18th-century life in Haarlem, further enriching the museum experience. We went through this part of the museum fairly quickly as the collection was amazing, but the house was sort of more of a living museum style space that was a little underwhelming after the great artifacts and relics. If you’re more of an old-world architecture enthusiast, you’ll probably enjoy it though. The wallpapers stood out to me for their artistic beauty though I will say.

A living testament to enlightenment ideals

Teylers Museum, with its diverse and intriguing collections, stands as a living embodiment of the Enlightenment ideals. It is a place where history, art, and science converge, offering a unique and enriching experience for all who visit. For families and history buffs alike, the Teylers Museum is a great thing to do in Haarlem that will not only educate, but also inspire.

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