Freedom under pressure: Political prisoners, then and now.

  • Date: 10 December - 01 December
  • Location: Nationaal Monument Oranjehotel

During World War II, the Oranjehotel, the nickname for Scheveningen prison, functions as a political prison. Opponents of the Nazi regime were detained, interrogated and sentenced here. But political imprisonment is of all times and places. Places exist all over the world which, like the Oranjehotel, symbolise the existence of lawlessness and dictatorial regimes.

In the new exhibition Freedom under pressure. Politically imprisoned, then and now, NM Oranjehotel places its own past in global perspective from 12 November to December 2025. Besides the genesis and commemorative culture surrounding political prisons, the exhibition also pays attention to their continued existence until today. From Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin to Jinzhou prison in north-east China.

The exhibition Freedom under pressure. Politically imprisoned, then and now takes place in the context of 80 years of freedom. A year in which we celebrate 80 years since World War II ended and the Netherlands is a democracy.

In addition to the exhibition, the NM Oranjehotel, in cooperation with Studium Generale University Leiden, is organising a number of lectures that delve deeper into different themes. See here for more information.

The exhibition has been made possible thanks to financial support from Vfonds.

Nationaal Monument Oranjehotel


Van Alkemadelaan 1258
2597 BP Den Haag

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