The "Oranjehotel" (Orangehotel) was the nickname for the Scheveningen prison during World War II.
Over 25,000 people were incarcerated here between 1940 and 1945 for questioning and trial. They were arrested for actions perceived as offenses by the German occupiers. Among them were resistance fighters, as well as Jews, communists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and black marketeers. The prison was already referred to as the "Oranjehotel" during the war, serving as a tribute to the resistance fighters who were imprisoned there.
After a long period of preparation, the National Monument Oranjehotel was officially opened by His Majesty King Willem-Alexander on September 6, 2019. The prison barracks have been transformed into a memorial center, where the stories of those who were imprisoned here are told. Their stories highlight the fragility of freedom and the choices people make when lawlessness, oppression, and persecution take hold of society.
Visitors can listen to these stories through an audio tour provided at the entrance. They can also watch films about life in the prison. Additionally, in early September 2019, historian Dr. Bas von Benda-Beckmann published a scholarly study on the Oranjehotel, commissioned by the Oranjehotel Foundation: Het Oranjehotel. Een Duitse gevangenis in Scheveningen (The Oranjehotel: A German Prison in Scheveningen).
Since 2021, the National Monument Oranjehotel has been included in the Museum Register of the Netherlands.
