Museum Voorlinden
A private contemporary collection on a dune estate, with a swimming pool you can walk under without getting wet.
Updated 12 October 2026
Joop van Caldenborgh, a Dutch chemicals industrialist, built a collection of contemporary art over fifty years and in 2016 opened it in a purpose-built museum on the Voorlinden estate at Wassenaar - a long low pavilion by Kraaijvanger with a ceiling of thousands of glass louvres that filter daylight evenly across the galleries, standing in dune woodland and parkland with sculpture through it. The permanent installations are what people come for: Richard Serra's Open Ended, a walk-in steel spiral; Ron Mueck's Couple Under an Umbrella, two hyperreal figures at several times life size; James Turrell's Skyspace; and Leandro Erlich's Swimming Pool, which appears full of water from above and is entered from below through a chamber under the surface, so people stand under it looking up through the water at those above.
What you'll find
- Erlich's Swimming Pool - entered from beneath, looking up through the water.
- Serra's Open Ended - a walk-in steel spiral of enormous weight.
- Mueck's Couple Under an Umbrella - hyperreal figures at several times life size.
- A daylight-filtered pavilion - thousands of glass louvres over the galleries.
When to go
April to October. Half a day.
What to expect
Timed tickets and it sells out at weekends. The Swimming Pool has queues and limited numbers below at a time. Closed some days for private events. It is out of town and needs a bus.
Nearby
The Louwman Museum is south; Wassenaar's dunes and beach are west.
Key facts
Source: Wikidata, item Q2298844, read on 18 October 2026.
What to pack for Museum Voorlinden
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
- Reef-safe sunscreen - High SPF that will not bleach the coral you are swimming over. Find on Amazon
- Loose, light, long clothing - Covering up beats bare skin in the desert - and locals dress this way for a reason. Find on Amazon
- Comfortable walking shoes - Sightseeing means kilometres of pavement and cobbles daily. Find on Amazon
- Quick-dry towel - A microfibre towel packs small and dries in minutes. Find on Amazon
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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.



