Museum of the Mind

What Museum of the Mind does

Museum of the Mind (Museum van de Geest) is a Dutch non-profit cultural institution headquartered in Haarlem, Netherlands, operating from the 700-year-old Dolhuys building. Founded in 2005, the museum's stated focus is exploring mental health through art and culture, presenting exhibitions and programs that frame psychological experience as a subject for artistic and public dialogue. Its content portfolio includes long-running exhibitions such as 'Nieuw Oud!' (scheduled through January 2027) and themed shows such as 'SAMEN SPORTEN, SAMEN SPECIAAL', complemented by a multilingual multimedia guide, the on-site Museumcafé Thuys, a museum shop, and venue/event rentals.

The museum operates a multi-segment business model combining paid admissions (€17.50 adult, €10 youth, €5 child, €15 group, free under 5), café and shop revenue, event rentals, a four-tier friend/donor membership program (Vriend, Regent, Begunstiger, Fonds op Naam), and fee-based education programs including the De Bovenkamer mental-health curriculum. Distribution is supported by participation in the national Museumkaart scheme and the I amsterdam city card, and by institutional collaborations such as the Art & Care initiative with healthcare partners.

In 2023 the museum extended its footprint through a partnership with H'ART Museum in Amsterdam, opening a second location and marking its first material geographic expansion beyond Haarlem. The organization employs approximately 45 staff across both sites. No external funding rounds, acquisitions, or AI/technology initiatives are disclosed in the available data; revenue is generated entirely from operating activities, donations, and membership income.

Name

Museum of the Mind

Legal name

Museum van de Geest

Website

https://museumvandegeest.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Museum of the Mind (Museum van de Geest) is a Dutch non-profit museum in Haarlem, founded in 2005, that explores mental health through art and culture, serving visitors, schools, healthcare partners, and donors from a 700-year-old heritage building and a 2023 Amsterdam second site.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Museums (THAJADAA), Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Museum exhibitions
• Mental health awareness
• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Cultural education programs
• Museum venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Haarlem

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Admission fees for museum visits with tiered pricing for different age groups and group bookings
2. Catering - Museumcafé Thuys: Restaurant and café operations within the museum, offering food and beverages with focus on organic, sustainable local products
3. Museum Shop: Retail sales of souvenirs, books, postcards, and exclusive museum merchandise; proceeds support museum mission
4. Event Venue Rental: Rental of unique historic spaces including Regentenkamer and other rooms for corporate events and private functions
5. Membership and Donations: Friends of museum membership, Regent and Benefactor programs, named funds, and one-time donations
6. Education Programs: School tours, educational programs for various age groups including De Bovenkamer mental health curriculum

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Museum of the Mind is a cultural museum that operates permanent and temporary exhibitions exploring the human mind and mental health through art, housed in a 700-year-old former Dolhuys building in Haarlem (with a second location in Amsterdam). Visitors access exhibitions via a multilingual multimedia guide, complemented by a museum café, museum shop, school and group educational programs, and venue rental for events and meetings.

Product overview

Museum van de Geest (Museum of the Mind) is a cultural institution focused on making mental health discussable through art and culture. The museum offers a unified experience centered on the permanent collection in the historic Dolhuys building, complemented by temporary exhibitions, a multimedia guide with multiple route options, an on-site café (Museumcafé Thuys), a museum shop, educational programs for schools, and event venue rental. Visitors can purchase tickets online or at the door, with the multimedia guide included in admission. The museum has two locations: Haarlem (primary, in the 700-year-old Dolhuys) and Amsterdam (at H'ART Museum).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Museumcafé Thuys: Museum café located within the museum premises, offering coffee, lunch, and beverages with a mission to provide employment for people with psychological vulnerabilities
• Museumwinkel

Products and services

• Museum admission (entry ticket) Paid entry to the museum's permanent and temporary exhibitions exploring the human mind and mental health through art. Includes access to the multilingual multimedia guide. Available for adults, youth with discount, and groups with group pricing.
• Multilingual multimedia guide Digital audio guide experience available in Dutch, English, German, and French, accessible via visitors' own smartphones/devices, providing interpretation of the exhibitions.
• Museum café On-site café serving visitors during their museum visit.
• Museum shop On-site retail shop selling museum-related merchandise and products to visitors.
• School and educational programs Structured educational programs for school groups, providing curriculum-aligned learning experiences at the museum for primary and secondary students.
• Venue rental (Verhuur) Rental of the museum's historic spaces for events, meetings, and private gatherings, leveraging the unique 700-year-old building atmosphere.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• H'ART MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership arrangement for Museum van de Geest to operate a second location within H'ART Museum's Amsterdam facility, expanding geographic presence to the capital city.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Wellcome Collection: London venue combining a museum, library, and events program exploring health and the human experience. Broader in scope than Museum van de Geest but overlaps on the intersection of art, science, and human psychology.
• Outsider Art Museum: New York museum dedicated to outsider and self-taught art, exhibiting work from artists outside the mainstream. Comparable on the art and mental health theme, particularly the outsider art programming Museum van de Geest presents in Amsterdam.

Broad incumbents

• Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: Amsterdam's museum of modern and contemporary art and design. Comparable Dutch cultural institution with overlapping contemporary art visitors, though not focused on mental health.
• Mütter Museum: Philadelphia museum of medical history operated by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Comparable as a specialty museum combining medical history with education and curated collections, though broader in scope (general medicine vs. mental health).

Direct peers

• Bethlem Museum of the Mind: London-based museum dedicated to the history of mental healthcare and the art created by people with mental health conditions. Most directly comparable to Museum van de Geest in mission, audience, and operational model.
• H'ART Museum: Amsterdam museum hosting touring exhibitions from major international collections. Strategic partner hosting Museum van de Geest's Amsterdam location and a comparable Dutch cultural institution with multi-venue ambitions.
• Glenside Museum: UK museum of mental health history housed in a former psychiatric hospital, focused on preserving the heritage of mental healthcare. Highly comparable mission and institutional model to Museum van de Geest.
• Museum Dr. Guislain: Ghent, Belgium museum located on the historic grounds of a former psychiatric hospital, exhibiting the history of psychiatry and outsider art. Directly comparable as a mental-health-focused museum with similar thematic combination of art, history, and psychiatry.

Others

• International Museum of Surgical Science: Chicago-based museum housed in a historic mansion focusing on surgical history and medical humanities. Thematically adjacent as a specialty museum combining art, architecture, and medicine, but distinct subject focus.

Regional players

• Fotomuseum Amsterdam: Dutch photography museum focused on visual culture. Comparable as a small-to-mid-sized Dutch specialty museum with multi-venue ambitions and education programming, though different subject focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/museumvandegeest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Museum of the Mind