Tot Zover Museum

The Museum Tot Zover, located in Amsterdam, offers a unique and deeply reflective perspective on death and funeral rituals. Founded in 2007, the museum is situated in the De Nieuwe Ooster cemetery, one of the city’s most tranquil and picturesque green areas. This museum, dedicated to the celebration and understanding of death, is the first of its kind in the Netherlands and one of the few in the world. The mission of the Museum Tot Zover is to explore how different cultures and historical periods have dealt with death and mourning. The museum is organized around four main themes: rituals, the body, mourning and commemoration, and memento mori (remember that you must die). These themes are explored through a vast collection of objects that include coffins, urns, death masks, artworks, and models of funeral carriages, offering visitors a broad overview of funeral practices and traditions related to death. At the entrance, visitors are welcomed by a hall that introduces the central theme of the museum: death as an integral part of life. This space is decorated with murals and quotes reflecting on how society deals with mortality. The visit continues with the Rituals Room, which is perhaps the most evocative in the museum. Here, seven open coffins represent the different ways in which various cultures present in the Netherlands handle death. Each coffin is decorated according to specific cultural traditions, highlighting the diversity of funeral rituals. Another section of the museum is dedicated to the body and how it is treated after death. Here, visitors can see examples of death masks and artworks created using human hair, a common practice in the 18th and 19th centuries to commemorate the deceased. This section also includes multimedia installations that explore modern body preservation practices and emerging technologies in the field of ecological burials. The Mourning and Commemoration Room offers an in-depth look at how people process grief and remember their deceased loved ones. Among the objects on display are condolence letters, post-mortem photographs, and personal items that belonged to the deceased. This room highlights the importance of mourning rituals and how they help the living cope with loss and keep the memory of their loved ones alive. The theme of memento mori is explored through a series of artworks and artifacts that remind visitors of the fragility of life and the certainty of death. This section includes paintings, sculptures, and jewelry that use symbols such as skulls, hourglasses, and wilted flowers to convey the message of life’s transience. These objects not only offer a glimpse into funeral art but also invite personal reflection on one’s own mortality. Some of the most relevant exhibitions in recent years include “Funeral Train,” which explores the use of funeral trains in transporting the deceased, and “The Pixelated Revolution,” which examines the impact of digitalization on modern funeral practices. These exhibitions offer food for thought and stimulate discussions on how our society continues to evolve in its approach to death. An interesting anecdote concerns the installation “Overgave/Surrender” by Roos van Geffen, one of the artworks displayed at the Museum Tot Zover. This installation uses video and sound to create an immersive experience that simulates the process of accepting death. The work has been praised for its ability to deeply touch visitors, many of whom have described the experience as cathartic.