Natuurmuseum Brabant

What Natuurmuseum Brabant does

Natuurmuseum Brabant is a Dutch natural history museum operated by Stichting Natuurmuseum Brabant, a non-profit foundation headquartered in a national monument building from 1880 at Spoorlaan 434 in Tilburg, directly opposite Tilburg Central Station. The museum presents collections of plants, animals, fossils, stones, and minerals through interactive permanent exhibitions — including the seasonal BOS (Forest) projection gallery, the OO-zone (Discovery & Exploration Zone), the 15-metre Potvis (Sperm Whale) skeleton, and the IJstijd (Ice Age) gallery — alongside rotating exhibitions such as GIGA (insect photography) and the annually hosted Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

The museum operates a diversified revenue model combining one-time admission tickets (€17 adults, €14.50 youth, €9.50 students), recurring family memberships (Gezinskorting/Fanpas at €45-€145/year), school subscriptions (Natuurmuseum Brabantpas at €3.45/student), birthday party programmes (from €95), on-site café and retail shop, room rental in the historic monument, and an online shop via Dutch Museum Gift Shop. Educational programmes serve as a major B2B channel, with structured workshops for primary (BSO through groep 8), secondary (vmbo/havo/vwo), and after-school care audiences aligned to Dutch national curriculum kerndoelen. Capital projects and operational subsidies are sourced from the Province of North Brabant, Mondriaan Foundation, VSB-fonds, Anjerfonds, and European Regional Development Funds (OPZuid). Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via a mandatory Global Tickets (CM.com) online pre-booking platform with 30-visitor hourly capacity caps, supplemented by the Dutch Museumkaart network (500+ museums).

The museum's strategic positioning rests on differentiated interactive technology, curriculum-aligned education, an iconic transit-adjacent location, and a layered community ecosystem including the Natuur om de Hoek after-school nature club, the uitleendepot loan depot for schools, and cross-institutional programmes with Stadsmuseum Tilburg, Textielmuseum, Ontdekstation013, Hogeschool Zuyd, Maastricht University, and Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Director & CEO is Dr. F.B.R. Zachariasse; the marketing and development function is led by Manager Jesper Bekkers.

Name

Natuurmuseum Brabant

Legal name

Stichting Natuurmuseum Brabant

Website

https://natuurmuseumbrabant.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Natuurmuseum Brabant is a non-profit natural history museum in Tilburg, Netherlands, operating interactive permanent and rotating exhibitions for families, schools, and tourists, with curriculum-aligned education programmes, memberships, retail, and venue hire as core revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum / Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Natural history museum
• Interactive science exhibits
• School educational programs
• Family museum activities
• Nature education

Headquarters

HQ city

Tilburg

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Tickets: The museum charges admission fees to individual visitors. Adults pay €17, youth (4-17 years) pay €14.50, and children up to 3 years enter free. Various discount schemes exist including free entry for Museumkaart holders, ICOM cardholders, VriendenLoterij VIP-kaart holders, Natuurmuseum Brabant Fanpas holders, and students with valid Dutch student cards at €9.50.
2. Museum Shop (Retail): The museum operates a physical Museumwinkel at street level near the Potvis (Sperm Whale) exhibit, selling educational games, nest boxes, eco-plush toys, books, and souvenirs. Products are also available online via the Dutch Museum Gift Shop. The shop is accessible without museum admission.
3. Museum Café: The museum operates a café offering coffee, donuts, sandwiches, and soup. Food and drinks are consumed in designated café areas only, not in exhibition spaces. The café is open during museum hours with table service.
4. School Education Programmes: Schools book educational programmes and workshops. School visit admission is €6.60 per student/companion (school year 2025-2026). Schools with a Natuurmuseum Brabantpas subscription have free access. Birthday party programmes start at €95 for 4 children and 2 adult supervisors, with €13 per additional child.
5. Membership Schemes (Fanpas / Gezinskorting / Vriendenpas): Annual family and individual membership schemes provide unlimited museum access. Gezinskorting (family discount) ranges from €45/year for 1 person to €145/year for 4 persons, offering additional benefits including 10% discount at the museum café and shop, free research material loans, and 20% discount at Beekse Bergen. Vriendenpas (Friends Pass) provides free unlimited entry.
6. Zaalverhuur (Room Rental): The museum rents out rooms and spaces for meetings, workshops, family days, and events. The building is a national monument from 1880, offering a unique backdrop. Also offered as a film and photography location for professional shoots both during and outside opening hours.
7. Sponsorships, Donations and Subsidies: The museum receives support from corporate sponsors, societal partners, individual donors, and government funds. The mammoths skeleton restoration project is funded in part by the Anjerfonds. Subsidising bodies include the Province of North Brabant, Mondriaan Foundation, and VSB-fonds. The museum runs a donation platform via geef.nl.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Natuurmuseum Brabant operates a natural history museum in Tilburg, Netherlands, presenting its collection of plants, animals, fossils, and minerals through interactive permanent and rotating exhibitions. The museum offers structured educational programmes for primary and secondary schools, children's birthday parties, family memberships, an on-site shop and café, room rental in its 1880 national monument building, and a digital lending depot for schools.

Product overview

Natuurmuseum Brabant is a natural history museum in Tilburg, Netherlands, operating as a science museum and knowledge institution focused on plant and animal life. The museum offers a unified visitor experience combining physical admission with structured educational programs, retail, dining, and membership services. Core offerings include museum admission tickets and permanent/rotating exhibitions (Sperm Whale gallery, OO-zone discovery center, Ice Age, Leve het leven biodiversity, GIGA). These are supported by educational services (school programs for primary/secondary levels, Natuur om de Hoek after-school club), facility services (Museumcafé, Museumwinkel shop, Zaalverhuur room rental), membership programs (Gezinskorting/Fanpas family discount, Natuurmuseum Brabantpas school subscription), special activities (Kinderfeestje birthday parties, Expeditie Ontdek discovery game), the Uitleendepot lending service, and audio/film production location rental. The museum also operates an online shop via Dutch Museum Gift Shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Admission General museum admission tickets for individual visitors and families, with tiered pricing for adults (€17), youth aged 4-17 (€14.50), free entry for children under 3, and discounts for students (€9.50), CJP cardholders, Museumkaart holders, ICOM members, and VriendenLoterij VIP-kaart holders.
• Permanent and Rotating Exhibitions Natural history exhibitions including permanent galleries (Sperm Whale/Potvis, OO-zone discovery center, Ice Age/IJstijd, Leve het leven biodiversity) and rotating exhibitions (GIGA insect photography, Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, scientific illustration exhibitions, Onderhuids).
• School Educational Programs Structured educational workshops and museum lessons for primary schools (BSO, groep 1-8) and secondary schools (vmbo, havo, vwo) aligned with Dutch national curriculum (kerndoelen). Topics include biology, biodiversity, evolution, Ice Age mammals, and scientific research skills.
• Kinderfeestje (Children's Birthday Parties) Three themed birthday party programmes for children: Beestenbende (ages 4-6), Muismysterie (ages 7-9, a digital mystery game with the Natuurpolitie Brabant), and Feestbeest (ages 9+). Starting price €95 includes 4 children and 2 adults.
• Gezinskorting/Fanpas (Family Discount Membership) Annual family membership offering unlimited museum access, free lending service, 10% discount at museum café and shop, and 20% discount at Beekse Bergen. Tiers from €45/year (1 person) to €145/year (4 persons).
• Natuurmuseum Brabantpas (School Subscription) Annual subscription for schools in Noord-Brabant providing unlimited museum visits for students and teachers at €3.45 per student. Includes access to educational programmes and the lending depot.
• Vriendenpas (Friends Pass) Annual friends-of-the-museum membership providing free unlimited museum entry and supporting the institution's mission.
• Natuur om de Hoek (After-School Nature Club) After-school nature club where children in groups 3-7 discover nature in their own neighbourhood under museum staff supervision, with seasonal themes and activities. Also offered as a corporate green business activity.
• Museumwinkel (Museum Shop) Physical and online retail shop offering educational games, nesting boxes, eco-friendly plush toys, books, souvenirs, and sustainable products. Accessible without museum admission; online via Dutch Museum Gift Shop.
• Museumcafé On-site café serving coffee, donuts, sandwiches, and soup during museum opening hours with table service in designated café areas.
• Zaalverhuur (Room Rental) Event venue rental in the 1880 national monument building for meetings, workshops, family days, and corporate events.
• Audio, Photo and Film Location Hire Professional photography, video, and film location rental services with natural history backdrops including the sperm whale skeleton and mammoth exhibits, available during and outside opening hours.
• Uitleendepot (Lending Service) Online lending depot allowing schools to reserve and borrow museum resources including museum trunks (museumkoffers), taxidermy specimens, and educational materials for use outside the museum.
• Expeditie Ontdek (Expedition Discover) Self-guided discovery game with activity cards for different age groups (4-7, 8-10, 11-12 years) where children explore museum galleries solving nature-themed puzzles and challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• The museum serves over 100,000 visitors per year according to its own vacancy descriptions.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2024Naturalis loaned a triceratops skeleton to Natuurmuseum Brabant for display at the LocHal in Tilburg from 27 June to 6 August 2024, as part of a Dutch tour of the Naturalis triceratops herd. Naturalis found the five triceratops specimens in Wyoming, USA, and is the source institution for the touring exhibition.
• Whitley Fund for NatureminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, hosted exclusively at Natuurmuseum Brabant annually since 2021 (with the exhibition running from November each year to May the following year), supports the Whitley Fund for Nature. Part of the revenue from photo sales at the exhibition goes to the Whitley Fund. The partnership raises awareness for nature conservation through humour. The 2025 edition celebrated the 10th anniversary of the competition.
• Ontdekstation013coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNatuurmuseum Brabant and Ontdekstation013 jointly developed a combinatieworkshop (combination workshop) for VMBO students titled 'Metaalinsecten en Aarde 2180'. The workshop runs 120-180 minutes, with the museum portion lasting 60 minutes and the Ontdekstation portion lasting 90 minutes. Students explore insects and climate change at the museum and then design and build their own metal insect at Ontdekstation. The partnership leverages each organisation's expertise: the museum provides biological/scientific content while Ontdekstation provides creative/metalworking facilities.
• Stadsmuseum TilburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint programme 'Vincents Brabant' developed with Stadsmuseum Tilburg and Textielmuseum as part of the project 'Onze Vincent in de 19e eeuw'. Primary school groups (groep 5) receive an introductory lesson from Stadsmuseum Tilburg in the classroom, then visit Natuurmuseum Brabant to explore the Brabant natural landscape as Vincent van Gogh would have seen it, connecting art history with natural science.
• Textielmuseum (Tilburg)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the 'Onze Vincent in de 19e eeuw' (Our Vincent in the 19th Century) project alongside Stadsmuseum Tilburg, creating a cross-disciplinary cultural education programme connecting Vincent van Gogh's connection to Brabant's natural landscape across three Tilburg cultural institutions.
• Hogeschool Zuyd and Maastricht UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe annual 'From Pencil to Pixel' / 'Van Potlood tot Pixel' exhibition series showcases graduation work from students of the Master Scientific Illustration programme at Hogeschool Zuyd and Maastricht University — described as a programme unique in the Netherlands and Europe. The exhibition series runs from 2022 through at least 2025 (exhibitions in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 'Wetenschap Verbeeld' in 2025). The programme is led by curator Hanny van den Brand, a graduate of the programme itself.
• Global Tickets (CM.com)coreTechnology or IntegrationGlobal Tickets (powered by CM.com) is the museum's online ticketing provider, managing ticket sales, date/time slot reservations, order confirmations, and ticket amendments/refunds. All visitors must book via this platform. Global Tickets also provides WhatsApp support for ticketing enquiries.
• Mickel van Leeuwen (Inside Out Animals)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMickel van Leeuwen, a specialist in large skeleton construction with worldwide experience, was engaged by the museum for the initial research phase of the mammoths skeleton restoration project, funded by the Anjerfonds. He assessed the available bones and confirmed the mammoth skeleton can be rebuilt.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Universeum: Science centre and natural history museum in Groningen combining interactive exhibits, aquarium displays, and school programmes. Comparable family-and-schools orientation with interactive technology emphasis.
• Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam: Regional natural history museum in Rotterdam with comparable collections, school programmes, and family audiences. Directly competes for Noord-Brabant/Randstad school-trip budgets and family leisure visits.
• Teylers Museum: Historic natural history and science museum in Haarlem with a comparable mix of permanent collections, family audiences, and educational programming, though with a more traditional presentation style.
• Natuurmuseum Fryslân: Regional natural history museum in Leeuwarden with similar positioning around regional natural heritage, family programmes, and school outreach. Closest direct peer by regional-museum structure and size.
• Naturalis Biodiversity Center (school programme): Specifically relevant for the Dutch school-visit market where Naturalis national programmes compete with regional museums' curriculum-aligned offerings; both vie for kerndoelen-mapped bookings.
• Museon-Omniversum: Combined science and natural history museum in The Hague with family-focused interactive exhibits and school programmes. Comparable target audience, comparable interactive technology positioning, and comparable scale.

Regional players

• Beekse Bergen: Major safari park and wildlife attraction in Noord-Brabant offering bundled discounts with Natuurmuseum Brabant memberships. Competitor for family leisure budgets in the same region, but partners rather than directly overlaps in experience.
• Stadsmuseum Tilburg: Local Tilburg cultural partner that co-develops programmes with Natuurmuseum Brabant (e.g., Vincents Brabant). Comparable local museum scale but operates in cultural-history rather than natural-history niche; competes for the same local family and school audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Naturalis Biodiversity Center: National natural history museum in Leiden and the dominant Dutch natural history institution. Direct comparator on collections, scientific illustration, school programmes, and biodiversity exhibitions; already loans marquee specimens (triceratops) to Natuurmuseum Brabant.
• NEMO Science Museum: Large Amsterdam science museum with interactive exhibits, strong school programmes, and high visitor volumes. Competes for the same family and school audiences nationally and dominates the Dutch interactive-science category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/natuurmuseum-brabant

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Natuurmuseum Brabant