The War Museum Eyewitness in Beek is closing. After the summer season, the doors of the museum will be closed permanently.
Director Wim Seelen announced this on Tuesday.
burglary
The museum, which has been open since 2013, has had to deal with a lot of setbacks in recent years. Not only were the doors forced to close due to the corona crisis, the museum was also hit by a burglary in 2020. In particular, Nazi paraphernalia such as helmets, uniforms and insignia were captured. The value of those items, according to the museum, amounted to almost one million euros.
Also read: Lots of support but little hope after the War Museum robbery
no growth
Director Seelen doubts whether the museum in its existing form can attract enough visitors to continue to grow. The current building, a villa on Maastrichterlaan, is also not suitable for further development, according to Seelen. “All in all, this has made us decide to stop our museum activities in the course of 2022. We deeply regret this choice, but nevertheless believe that we have made a healthy decision,” writes Seelen.
Overtime
The date on which the doors will remain closed is scheduled for October 1. The largest part of the collection of the museum in Beek will be taken over by the Overloon War Museum.