Rijksmuseum Meermanno, the world’s oldest book museum, has bought the neighbouring building at Prinsessegracht 32 and will gain 300 square metres of extra space.
The purchase is part of a renewal plan ahead of the museum’s 175th anniversary in 2027, with the work expected to be completed in 2030.
The new space will house a study centre with an internal depot, built around a reading room where researchers, students and visitors have direct access to the stored collection.
More room for the collection
The museum says the expansion is needed to preserve its national heritage collection of around 500,000 objects, including 90,000 historical books, early printed works and rare medieval manuscripts.
Much of the collection is currently kept in depots at the site of the KB national library in The Hague, where redevelopment in the coming years will take away that external storage space.
The museum also says it is short of room for education and public activities, and that moving functions to the new building will free up space in its current premises.
The purchase was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Municipality of The Hague and the Friends of Rijksmuseum Meermanno foundation.
