Stichting Oorlogs- en Verzetscentrum Groningen (OVCG)

What Stichting Oorlogs- en Verzetscentrum Groningen (OVCG) does

Stichting Oorlogs- en Verzetscentrum Groningen (OVCG) is a Dutch non-profit foundation established in 1991 and based in Groningen, Netherlands, dedicated to documenting, preserving, and presenting the history of World War II and the resistance in the Province of Groningen. The institution maintains a curated archival collection of approximately 6,000 resistance cards, 3,000 historical photographs, and 500 war posters, and operates with a small team of roughly five employees. Its core activities include maintaining the archive, producing primary-source research outputs (e.g., "De oorlog in bekendmakingen"), and delivering educational programming targeted at Dutch primary schools (groups 7-8), supplemented by research services for historians and recurring public events such as the annual Bob Houwenlezing lecture and Vrouwenmars.

OVCG's business model is primarily grant-funded, with revenue sourced from Dutch cultural funds (Mondriaanfonds, V-fonds) and the Province of Groningen, supplemented by a modest earned-income layer. Earned streams include paid research services (€15 per quarter hour), educational kit lending (€10 per kit with a €50 deposit), a friends-of-the-foundation membership (€25/year, launched 2023), and collection loans to guest municipalities and partner institutions. The foundation is operationally hosted by Groninger Archieven and is networked with regional heritage organizations including Synagoge Groningen, Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork, Noordelijk Scheepvaartmuseum, and Biblionet Groningen, as well as the national Netwerk Oorlogsbronnen.

The institution's strategic posture is one of incremental digital expansion: the 2021 launch of OVCG Zichtbaar Online and the planned 2026 integration into Collectie Groningen reflect a sustained effort to move the archive from a physical reference collection to a broader online-accessible resource. There is no disclosed AI, automation, or technology-platform product; the offering is fundamentally content- and community-based, with the underlying "technology" being the archival collection itself and the human-curated research and educational services that draw on it.

Name

Stichting Oorlogs- en Verzetscentrum Groningen (OVCG)

Legal name

Stichting Oorlogs- en Verzetscentrum Groningen

Website

https://ovcg.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OVCG is a small Dutch heritage foundation (est. 1991) that documents WWII and the resistance in the Province of Groningen. It maintains a curated archive of resistance cards, photographs, and posters, and serves schools, researchers, the public, and municipalities via grants, memberships, and educational services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage and Historical Documentation Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

akta.pro primary industry

Open Educational Resources (OER) & Curriculum Repositories (EDAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Open Lesson Plans & Teaching Units (K–12) (EDAGAJAI), Open Multimedia OER (video, audio, podcasts, animations) (EDAGAJAF), OER Repositories, Discovery & Metadata Services (EDAGAJAL)

Keywords

• WWII heritage documentation
• Archival research services
• Educational lesson programs
• Public commemoration events
• Collection digitization projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Groningen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government and Cultural Fund Subsidies: OVCG receives project-based and operational funding from Dutch cultural funds including Mondriaanfonds (for digitization projects), V-fonds (for resistance commemoration and educational activities), and the Province of Groningen. The foundation is also supported by the Groninger Archieven as its host institution.
2. Friends Membership (Vrienden van het OVCG): Since January 1, 2023, OVCG offers an annual friends membership for €25 per year. Benefits include invitation to the annual 'Vrienden van het OVCG' afternoon event, free entry to OVCG activities, and invitations to openings and premieres of public events.
3. Research Services: The OVCG charges €15 per quarter hour for research requests that exceed 15 minutes of work. Initial research (up to 15 minutes) is provided without charge. This covers archival research conducted by OVCG staff on behalf of private individuals or researchers.
4. Educational Material Lending: OVCG lends educational material kits (leskisten) to schools for €10 per kit plus a €50 deposit, with a 14-day loan period. Each kit covers a specific WWII theme such as daily life, resistance, collaboration, liberation, Jewish persecution, or propaganda.
5. Collection Loans: OVCG provides material loans (bruiklenen) free of charge for exhibitions and activities, as long as the material is not confidential or too fragile/rare. A loan agreement is drawn up covering conditions regarding storage and insurance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OVCG is a small Dutch heritage foundation that collects, preserves, digitizes, and disseminates information and documentation about World War II in the city and province of Groningen. It delivers primary-school education programs (lesson briefs, loan kits, in-school projects on six WWII themes), produces documentaries and podcasts telling personal WWII stories, provides paid and free archival research services, organizes annual public commemorative events (Bob Houwenlezing, Vrouwenmars, Open Joodse Huizen/Huizen van Verzet), and operates a digital archive including approximately 6,000 resistance cards, 3,000 wartime photographs, and 500 war posters.

Product overview

OVCG is a heritage institution providing documentation and education about WWII in Groningen. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected products and services: educational lesson plans and materials (lesbrieven, educatieve leskisten) for primary and secondary schools; documentary films and podcasts telling personal WWII stories; archival research services and object collections; public memorial events including Open Joodse Huizen/Huizen van Verzet, Vrouwenmars, and Bob Houwenlezing; and digitization projects (OVCG Zichtbaar Online, De oorlog in bekendmakingen) making collections accessible online. Key partners include Groninger Archieven, CollectieGroningen.nl, and various educational institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educatieve Leskisten (Educational Loan Kits) Six thematic educational loan kits covering daily life, resistance, collaboration, liberation, Jewish persecution, and propaganda, available for primary schools at €10 per kit plus €50 refundable deposit, with a 14-day loan period.
• Educatieproject 'Tweede Wereldoorlog Dichterbij' (in de Stad) Annual educational program for primary school students (groups 7-8) in the city of Groningen, offered free of charge, including on-site exhibition, eyewitness testimony, film screening, and guided walking tour of local WWII sites.
• Provinciaal Educatieproject 'De Tweede Wereldoorlog Dichterbij' Province-wide educational project for primary school groups 7-8 across all Groninger municipalities with digital lesson modules covering six WWII themes: daily life, collaboration, resistance, Jewish persecution, liberation, and remembrance.
• Lesbrief 'Voortdurend Verzet' Downloadable lesson plan for primary school groups 7-8 connecting WWII resistance to contemporary forms of resistance.
• Lesbrief 'Dwingend Drukwerk' Downloadable lesson plan teaching students to recognize propaganda techniques used during WWII and in contemporary media, targeting VMBO students.
• Zoekvragen (Research Inquiry Service) Paid archival research service helping individuals find information about WWII in Groningen province. The first 15 minutes are free; subsequent research is charged at €15 per quarter hour. Research must be submitted in writing (by post or email).
• Archieven en Objecten (Archives and Objects Collection) Extensive WWII archival collection housed at the Groninger Archieven, including approximately 6,000 resistance cards (verzetskaarten), approximately 3,000 wartime photographs, approximately 500 war posters, and personal archives (diaries, letters, identity cards). Public documents are accessible in the Groninger Archieven study hall.
• Bruiklenen (Collection Loan Service) Loan service providing OVCG archival materials free of charge to exhibitions and activities (excluding confidential or fragile items), governed by formal loan agreements covering storage and insurance conditions.
• Documentaires (Documentary Films) Documentary films produced by OVCG telling personal WWII stories of Groningers (resistance members, persecution victims, etc.), distributed via the OVCG YouTube channel.
• Podcasts (Audio Series) Podcast series including 'En die ene ben ik' and 'In de voetsporen van Elie Aron Cohen', available on Spotify and the OVCG website, telling personal WWII stories.
• Wandelroute Verzetsgraven (Walking Route Resistance Graves) Self-guided walking route along the graves of resistance members at the Zuiderbegraafplaats in Groningen, delivered via ArcGIS StoryMaps.
• Scholtenhuis Web Documentaire (Interactive Documentary) Interactive documentary 'Scholtenhuis - het web' exploring Sicherheitsdienst (SD) activities in Groningen during WWII, hosted at scholtenhuis.nl.
• Vrienden van het OVCG (Friends Membership Program) Annual membership program at €25/year offering supporters invitations to exclusive 'Vrienden van het OVCG' afternoon events, free entry to OVCG activities, and invitations to openings and premieres.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of people annually reach OVCG with research queries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Synagoge GroningencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Synagoge Groningen co-organizes the annual Open Joodse Huizen/Huizen van Verzet commemoration program with OVCG. The synagogue serves as a key venue for these events. The OVCG is credited as a co-organizer alongside Synagoge Groningen and Werkgroep Sprekend Verleden Het Hogeland.
• Nationaal Archief / Oorlog voor de Rechter ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024OVCG participated in the regional information session (organized at Groninger Archieven) for the national 'Oorlog voor de Rechter' project, which made the Central Archive for the Political Purge (CABR) publicly accessible from January 2025.
• Groninger Archieven (RHC Groninger Archieven)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The OVCG's archive is physically housed at the Groninger Archieven, and the two organizations jointly operate education programs (including 'Tweede Wereldoorlog Dichterbij'). The Groninger Archieven also serve as OVCG's host institution, providing office space at Cascadeplein 4. The two organizations collaborate on the OVCG Zichtbaar Online digitization project.
• Tocht om de NoordminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Tocht om de Noord organized the 2021 Vrouwenmars commemorative walk (from Kamp Westerbork to the House of Detention in Groningen) on behalf of OVCG. The organization has continued to partner on subsequent Vrouwenmars events.
• Netwerk Oorlogsbronnen (NOB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020OVCG is a member of Netwerk Oorlogsbronnen, a network of Dutch WWII heritage institutions. NOB maintains the oorlogsbronnen.nl platform where OVCG's digitized materials (including the announcement posters project) are presented. OVCG collaborated with NOB on the 'De oorlog in bekendmakingen' project.
• De Verhalen van GroningenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019De Verhalen van Groningen was commissioned by the Province of Groningen to document WWII stories across 75 municipalities for the 75-year liberation jubilee. OVCG collaborated on the Café van de Vrijheid events held in libraries across all Groninger municipalities in November 2019, and on the provincial education project.
• Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork (HcKW)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019OVCG collaborated with Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork on the 2020 exhibition about the Vrouwenmars (women's march of April 1945), which was presented at four locations along the route from Westerbork to Visvliet. A podcast about the women's march was also produced.
• Noordelijk ScheepvaartmuseumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019OVCG collaborated with the Noordelijk Scheepvaartmuseum on the 'Niet Weggooien!' action day (May 3, 2019) and on the 'Voortdurend Verzet' exhibition (March-May 2018). The museum also participates in the Groninger Niet Weggooien Tour.
• Stichting Vier 5 meiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Stichting Vier 5 mei collaborated with OVCG and the Groninger Archieven on the 2019 'Dichtbij, maar toch ver weg' education project in the municipality of Stadskanaal, which also involved De Verhalen van Groningen and the municipality of Stadskanaal.
• Biblionet GroningenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Biblionet Groningen co-organized the Café van de Vrijheid events held in libraries across Groninger municipalities in November 2019, together with De Verhalen van Groningen, VRIJDAG Advies, and OVCG.
• Vluchtelingenwerk Noord-NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018For the 'Voortdurend Verzet' exhibition (2018), OVCG collaborated with Vluchtelingenwerk Noord-Nederland to include contemporary resistance stories of refugees who fled due to their resistance activities in their home countries.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam: National Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam, dedicated to documenting and presenting the story of Dutch resistance during WWII. Highly comparable to OVCG's Groningen-focused resistance documentation, archives (verzetskaarten), and educational programming, but operating at national scale.
• Liberation Museum Zeeland: Museum in Nieuwdorp, Zeeland, dedicated to the liberation of the Netherlands and the Battle of the Scheldt. Direct peer to OVCG in being a Dutch provincial WWII heritage/education institution with school programming, archival materials, and remembrance events.
• Joods Historisch Museum: Amsterdam-based Jewish Historical Museum with permanent and temporary exhibitions on Jewish history in the Netherlands, including the WWII persecution period. Direct peer to OVCG given the heavy focus on Jewish persecution stories in OVCG's archive (verzetskaarten, Open Joodse Huizen program, Elie Aron Cohen podcast).
• Nationaal Monument Kamp Vught: Memorial and museum at the site of Konzentrationslager Herzogenbusch (Kamp Vught) in North Brabant. Operates as a regional WWII heritage institution combining memorial site, museum, archive, and education programs—directly comparable to OVCG's combined archive/education/community-event model.
• Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork: Dutch WWII remembrance center in Drenthe focused on the Westerbork transit camp and broader WWII persecution history. Direct peer to OVCG as a regional WWII heritage/education institution; OVCG has explicitly collaborated with HcKW on the Vrouwenmars exhibition and the Liesel Aussen documentary/lesson project.
• Airborne Museum 'Hartenstein': WWII museum in Oosterbeek focused on the 1944 airborne Battle of Arnhem. Direct peer as a Dutch provincial WWII heritage institution combining memorial, archive, school education programs, and remembrance events—operating a comparable integrated heritage model to OVCG.

Others

• Netwerk Oorlogsbronnen: National Dutch network and digital platform (oorlogsbronnen.nl) aggregating WWII sources from multiple heritage institutions, including OVCG. Functions as an ecosystem enabler/distributor rather than a direct competitor; OVCG relies on it to make digitized collections globally discoverable.

Broad incumbents

• Stichting Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei: National Dutch foundation coordinating nationwide remembrance of WWII victims (May 4) and celebration of liberation (May 5). Broader incumbent that channels national remembrance funding and frames the agenda that regional institutions like OVCG implement at provincial level.
• NIOD Instituut voor Oorlogs-, Holocaust- en Genocidestudies: Netherlands' primary academic institute for WWII, Holocaust, and genocide studies, conducting research, education, and maintaining archival collections. Broader incumbent compared to OVCG, but directly comparable in archival/educational mission and the Dutch remembrance sector funding pool.
• Groninger Archieven (RHC Groninger Archieven): Regional historical archive for Groningen province, serving as OVCG's host institution and joint operator of education programs. While broader in scope (general regional history, not WWII-specific), it is a tightly intertwined peer/partner with overlapping archival, educational, and digital collection functions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6wjZiDvDRVf8PfZftaPjoQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oorlogs-en-verzetscentrum-groningen-ovcg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Stichting Oorlogs- en Verzetscentrum Groningen (OVCG)