muZIEum

What muZIEum does

muZIEum is an experiential museum located in Nijmegen, Netherlands, that enables visitors to experience what it is like to be blind or visually impaired through guided expeditions and immersive exhibitions. Founded in 2012 as Stichting muZIEum 2012 and registered as a cultural ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling), the museum served 42,000+ visitors in 2024 and set a growth target of 65,000 annually by 2028. The core product portfolio comprises three principal experiences: Expeditie in het donker (90-120 minute guided darkness expedition led by blind or visually impaired guides), Expeditie ribbelroute (90-120 minute outdoor AR-enabled route through central Nijmegen using a tactile stick and AR-simulatiebril glasses that simulate visual impairments), and the Fototentoonstelling Unseen (photography exhibition co-developed with Canon, featuring Reliëfprint tactile relief prints and audio interpretation). Supporting offerings include the team-building program Onzichtbaar Inzicht, the blind tasting Kraak en Smaak, Kinderfeestje children's parties, Lunch/Diner arrangements at De Waagh, and city tours via Stichting Gilde Nijmegen. The organization also operates Donders Citylab @ muZIEum for neuroscience research and the Onbeperkt Artistiek platform for inclusive arts programming.

The business model rests on unit-priced ticket and add-on revenue, with adult tickets starting at €23 and group/corporate programs priced up to €51 per person. Distribution is multi-channel: self-serve online booking (tickets.muzieum.nl), telephone reservations, group booking forms for businesses and schools, muZIEum op Locatie mobile expeditions for groups up to 60, and acceptance of Museumkaart and VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART as of 2026. Revenue is supplemented by donations, legacy gifts, and a diversified portfolio of grants from VriendenLoterij (€500,000 in June 2024), Gemeente Nijmegen, Provincie Gelderland, Rabobank Foundation, Dioraphte, Het Cultuurfonds, FNO, Mondriaan Fonds, and Anton Jurgens Fonds. Primary customer segments are families and private groups, corporate clients for team-building and social return programs, and educational institutions.

A core structural feature is the embedding of a social return mission into operations: approximately 55 blind and visually impaired staff (37.5% year-over-year growth) serve as guides and experience leaders, distinguishing muZIEum from conventional museums and aligning it with the Code Sociale Ondernemingen framework. Following a major renovation starting September 2025, the museum reopened on 5 February 2026 with a fully renewed concept, officially inaugurated by Princess Margriet, and reported a 26% increase in visitors versus the pre-renovation baseline.

Name

muZIEum

Legal name

Stichting muZIEum 2012

Website

https://muzieum.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

muZIEum is a Dutch experience museum in Nijmegen where visitors experience blindness through guided darkness expeditions and AR-enabled outdoor routes. It serves families, businesses, and schools while employing 55+ visually impaired staff, generating revenue from ticket sales, group programs, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experience Museum / Sensory Tourism

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Photography & Scenic Viewpoint Tours (THAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Experiential museum tours
• Sensory exhibitions
• Accessibility education
• AR simulation experiences
• Inclusive tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Nijmegen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Entreegelden en ticketverkoop: Hoofdinkomstenbron uit entreegelden voor expedities (Expeditie in het donker, Expeditie ribbelroute) en tentoonstellingen. Bezoekers boeken online, telefonisch, per e-mail of aan de balie. Het museum is voornamelijk afhankelijk van entreegelden.
2. Arrangementen en horeca: Omzet uit arrangementen zoals lunch/diner bij De Waagh, muZIEum-taartarrangement, en Kraak en Smaak proeverij. Ook inkomsten uit het muZIEum-café.
3. Social return en maatschappelijke dienstverlening: Social return-overeenkomsten met bedrijven en organisaties voor social return-verplichtingen, waarbij bedrijven betalen voor inclusieve bedrijfsuitjes en impactpakketten.
4. Donaties en schenkingen: Als ANBI-instelling ontvangt muZIEum aftrekbare giften en nalatenschappen van particulieren en organisaties die de missie ondersteunen.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

muZIEum operates an experiential museum in Nijmegen where visitors experience blindness and visual impairment through guided indoor darkness expeditions (Expeditie in het donker), outdoor AR-based city walks (Expeditie ribbelroute), and a tactile photography exhibition (Unseen, co-developed with Canon). All core experiences are led by blind or visually impaired guides, and the museum supplements these with team-building programs, culinary/tasting arrangements, off-site corporate and school expeditions, and accessible arts programming (Onbeperkt Artistiek).

Product overview

muZIEum is an interactive experience museum in Nijmegen, Netherlands, where visitors experience what it is like to be blind or visually impaired. The core product portfolio centers on three principal expeditions: Expeditie in het donker (darkness experience with blind guides), Expeditie ribbelroute (outdoor AR experience simulating sight impairment), and the Fototentoonstelling Unseen (tactile photography exhibition with Canon). These are supplemented by add-on modules including Onzichtbaar Inzicht (team-building), Kraak en Smaak (blind tasting), Kinderfeestje (children's parties), Lunch/Diner bij De Waagh (culinary), and Stadswandeling Gilde (city tours). The museum also operates muZIEum op Locatie (off-site expeditions) for corporate groups up to 60 persons, and the Onbeperkt Artistiek platform for accessible arts programming. The experience model is 'a job for one, an experience for the other' - creating employment for blind and visually impaired people while providing impactful visitor experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Expeditie in het donker Flaghip indoor guided expedition where visitors experience complete darkness led by a blind or visually impaired guide, exploring how hearing, touch and curiosity take over. 90–120 minutes, ages 8+, from €23 per person.
• Expeditie ribbelroute Outdoor AR experience in central Nijmegen where participants use augmented reality glasses and a tactile stick to experience the city as someone with sight impairment would. 90–120 minutes, ages 13+, €28 per person.
• Fototentoonstelling Unseen Tactile photography exhibition co-developed with Canon, featuring relief-print photographs by Brent Stirton, Ian Treherne, Evgen Bavcar and Daphne Wageman with audio interpretation. 45–60 minutes, ages 8+, from €10 per person, included with expeditions or visitable separately.
• muZIEum op Locatie Off-site expedition service bringing the muZIEum AR-based sight-impairment experience to corporate, school and organizational venues across the Netherlands, accommodating groups up to 60 persons.
• Onzichtbaar Inzicht Team-building group package combining the dark expedition, Unseen exhibition, AR team challenge and optional De Waagh lunch or dinner. Tests communication and trust without sight. 2.5–3 hours, from €51 per person.
• Kraak en Smaak Blind tasting experience where participants feel, smell and taste food and drink without seeing them. 30 minutes, from 2 persons, €8.95 per person.
• Kinderfeestje Children's birthday party package including the dark expedition, Unseen exhibition visit and refreshments in the muZIEum café. For ages 8–12 with accompanying adults; €23 per child, €28 per adult.
• Lunch en Diner bij De Waagh Culinary arrangement at De Waagh restaurant on Grote Markt in Nijmegen, optionally combined with simulated sight-impairment glasses. Standard lunch from €17.50, luxury lunch from €20, dinner from €41.50 per person.
• muZIEum-taartarrangement Cake arrangement with artisan cake from a local baker plus a hot or cold drink after the expedition. 30–60 minutes, from 6 persons, €9.50 per person.
• Stadswandeling Gilde City walking tour through historical Nijmegen led by Stichting Gilde Nijmegen guides, bookable as an add-on to any muZIEum expedition. Available from 4 persons.
• Onbeperkt Artistiek Platform Accessible arts platform launched in 2023 providing a stage for sighted, visually impaired and blind artists with a focus on collaboration, inclusion and sensory art experiences.
• Donders Citylab @ muZIEum Research lab hosted at muZIEum in collaboration with the Donders Institute (Radboud University) and Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, enabling scientific experiments on cognition and visual processing with museum visitors (e.g. Brain Awareness Week 2024, InScience Film Festival).

Quantifiable outcome

• 26% meer bezoekers sinds heropening in februari 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Donders InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWetenschappelijk onderzoeksinstituut dat Donders Citylab @ muZIEum faciliteert voor onderzoek naar hoe het brein informatie verwerkt bij blinde mensen.
• Groene Metropool Regio Arnhem NijmegenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegionale samenwerking voor culturele en sociale projecten in de regio.
• CanoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership voor de Unseen fototentoonstelling. Canon heeft innovatieve reliëfprint-technologie ontwikkeld waarmee fotografie toegankelijk wordt voor blinde, slechtziende en ziende bezoekers. De foto's zijn voelbaar, hoorbaar en zichtbaar - een tastbare kunstbeleving.
• Deloitte Impact FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOndersteuning van muZIEum op Locatie programma's. De Deloitte Impact Foundation wordt genoemd als partner bij expedities voor grotere groepen (27-60 personen).
• AccessibilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert in toegankelijkheid dat muZIEum helpt met toegankelijke werkpleksystemen. Samenwerking voor inspiratiesessies bij bedrijven over fysieke, digitale en sociale toegankelijkheid. Accessibility test systemen op WCAG 2.1 richtlijnen.
• Stichting KubesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollectief van ongeveer 50 blinde en slechtziende kunstenaars. Partnerschap versterkt inclusieve programmering en zorgt voor verdiepende beleving van zintuiglijke kunst bij het Onbeperkt Artistiek platform.
• Zelfregiecentrum NijmegenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamenwerking bij toegankelijkheidsschouw voor Vierdaagsefeesten. Medewerkers met diverse beperkingen signaleren knelpunten voor bezoekers met lichamelijke of mentale uitdagingen.
• BartiméusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpertisecentrum voor visuele beperkingen. Wordt genoemd als partner bij inspiratiesessies voor bedrijven over toegankelijkheid.
• VisiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpertisecentrum voor slechtziende en blinde mensen. Wordt genoemd als partner bij inspiratiesessies voor bedrijven over toegankelijkheid.
• Stichting Gilde NijmegenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGidsen van Stichting Gilde begeleiden stadswandelingen aansluitend op muZIEum expedities, als aanvullend arrangement.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DialogMuseum Frankfurt: Frankfurt-based experience museum that conducts guided tours in complete darkness led by visually impaired guides, mirroring muZIEum's flagship Expeditie in het donker concept. It is the most directly comparable operating model in Europe for sighted-blind experiential learning.
• Museo Tiflológico de la ONCE: Madrid-based museum operated by ONCE (Spanish blind organization) focused on the history and culture of blind and visually impaired people. Comparable to muZIEum in mission (awareness of visual impairment) and in using exhibitions as a vehicle for social impact.

Broad incumbents

• NEMO Science Museum: Amsterdam's flagship interactive science museum; a larger experiential/educational venue in the Netherlands targeting families, schools, and corporate groups. Overlaps with muZIEum on family/group market and educational programming, but with a much broader thematic scope.
• Kröller-Müller Museum: Major Dutch art and sculpture museum near Otterlo with strong educational programming and a regional visitor base. Comparable to muZIEum as a leading cultural attraction in the eastern Netherlands but with traditional art-focus rather than sensory-experience focus.
• Rijksmuseum: The Netherlands' incumbent national museum with very large visitor volumes and corporate/school programming infrastructure. Comparable as a Dutch museum competitor for group bookings and cultural-tourism mindshare, though vastly larger and differently scoped.
• Madame Tussauds Amsterdam: Iconic global experiential/wax museum brand with strong group and tourist appeal. Comparable to muZIEum as a ticketed experiential attraction competing for leisure visitors in the Netherlands, though anchored in celebrity rather than social-impact content.

Others

• Accessibility (Stichting Accessibility, part of Bartiméus): Dutch expert organization on accessibility that is an existing muZIEum partner. Comparable as a stakeholder/ecosystem player in Dutch visual-impairment inclusion services that occasionally refers clients and runs joint inspiration sessions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@muzieum
• Facebookfacebook.com/muzieum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-muzieum
• Instagraminstagram.com/muzieum
• TikToktiktok.com/@muzieum

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 muZIEum