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Guided tours

There is a lot to see in Museum Vrolik, from anatomical preparations and rare congenital defects to animal skeletons. Our tour guides can tell you the story behind the exhibits. Most of them are studying medicine and are familiar with human anatomy. Other tour guides have different backgrounds, so wherever your interests lie, we have the right person on hand.

 

Guided tours are primarily suited for groups of secondary education, vocational education, higher education and academic students. In addition, they are a great activity for everyone interested in learning about anatomy and/or the history of medicine and biology. Our tour guides take their audience into account (age, type of education/course, background, prior knowledge, etc.). Given the nature of the collection, the museum might be less suited for primary school pupils. See also: before you decide to visit us. When in doubt, please contact us for more information and advice.

Request a guided tour
Possible themes

Collection highlights (1/4)

A general tour that focusses on the parts of the collection that are of historical value and specimens that are of medical and scientific importance. It features the oldest piece of the collection, common diseases of the eighteenth and nineteenth century (such as syphilis and rickets), historically and culturally interesting anatomical preparations – such as the skeleton of Louis Napoleon’s pet lion, a liver with grooves caused by a corset laced too tightly, the normal development of the embryo and foetus, and congenital defects – such as conjoined twins, cyclopia and more.

Human development (2/4)

A tour wholly dedicated to the development of the human body – from embryo to adult – and to the congenital defects that can occur along the way. The tour will focus extensively on the normal development of the embryo and foetus, the development of the brain, skeleton, skull and teeth, and the most important congenital defects, such as conjoined twins, brain defects, spina bifida, cyclopia, achondroplasia, skull defects, umbilical hernias and sirenomelia.

History (3/4)

A tour that mainly addresses the history of the collection and its origin. It highlights, amongst other things, diseases and conditions that were common during the eighteenth and nineteenth century, such as syphilis, rickets and bladder stones, the eighteenth-century bone cabinet of Dr Jacob Hovius, tattoos of the French period (1794-1815) and livers that show damage due to tight-lacing corsets. The last highlight on this tour is the extensive private collection of Gerard and Willem Vrolik dating from the nineteenth century, which includes a large number of animal specimens. These include the lion of king Louis Napoleon, the heart of a python and the eye of a whale. As part of the collection was amassed during the colonial age, the colonial context will be covered as well.

Custom tour (4/4)

It is also possible to book a custom tour, adapted entirely to your needs. The tour could, for example, focus on topics that closely match the specific interest of the group or that are relevant to the educational subject. It could be a tour that is mainly centred around a topic, point of view or discipline of your choosing. For example, a focus on the brain and nervous system, or the anatomy of animals. Please indicate your preference on the request form at the bottom of this page.

1/4
Practical information
  • A guided tour costs € 35,- + entrance (€ 10,-) per person. There is a reduced entrance fee of € 3,- per person for guided tours held explicitly for education. The educational institution must be clearly stated when requesting the tour. The total costs can be paid at our cashier (preferably by PIN or credit card).
  • A guided tour typically takes one hour. By mutual agreement, another duration can be decided on.
  • Up to fifteen people can take part in a guided tour.
  • It is possible to have two guided tours at the same time.
  • Joining a guided tour that has already started is not allowed.
  • Requests for guided tours need to be submitted no later than two weeks in advance.
  • Guided tours are offered in Dutch and in English.
Contact and request form

If you want to book a guided tour straight away, you can use the above request form. If you would like to discuss something with us first, please contact us via +31(0)20 566 4928 or museumvrolik@amsterdamumc.nl.

Reviews

"Amazing exhibition, lovely guided tour"

Reviews
480 reviews
"I highly recommend the guided tour! We were led to the most interesting pieces of the collection and enjoyed it much more knowing the history and the background of the items."
Tripadvisor
130 reviews
"Our tour was organized down to the last detail. We really enjoyed all the stories and the information behind the objects. We'll definitely come back!"