Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A skeleton on display contemplating its own mortality.
Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe
This classic London pub has a surprising history behind it.
John Snow
The beef, Guinness, and oyster pie sports a rich, flaky crust.
The Guinea
Welcome to one of the only floating pubs in the world.
Tamesis Dock
This may be the oldest pie in the world.
St Helens 'Oldest Pie' at The Turks Head
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
12 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
15 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
22 days ago
“There may be a collective sense of a dark loneliness,” Dahl says, referring to Norway’s natural landscape.
In Norway, Easter Means Tucking Into Crime Stories
22 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the Netherlands Amsterdam Museum Tot Zover

Museum Tot Zover

This museum inside Amsterdam's largest cemetery explores how people deal with death.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Added By
Leigh Turner
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Permanent collections.   leitsurner / Atlas Obscura User
Permanent collections.   leitsurner / Atlas Obscura User
Museum entrance and 2006 glass architecture.   leitsurner / Atlas Obscura User
Permanent Collections: death masks.   leitsurner / Atlas Obscura User
Museum Sign at the entrance.   leitsurner / Atlas Obscura User
Museum entrance   rosaleonie / Atlas Obscura User
Cemetary in winter   rosaleonie / Atlas Obscura User
Temporary exhibition: “De Laatste Aai.”   leitsurner / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

According to its website, Museum Tot Zover is “dying” to answer the question of how people deal with death. It’s housed in a 19th-century former foreman’s home in De Nieuwe Ooster, Amsterdam’s largest cemetery.

The museum explores the multicultural nature of funeral practices in the country, as well as the funeral traditions of various religions. Rather than the usual death museum fare of true crime or medical specimens, Tot Zover focuses on the culture and conversation around death and the funeral industry.

Its collections include books of post-mortem photography, early-20th-century hearses, Victorian hair keepsakes, and handmade urns for pets. Past exhibitions have examined Italian coffin marketing—calendars with scantily clad women posing both on and in the merchandise—and the use of smartphones as records of the device’s owner's death in the Middle East.

The museum also hosts regular Dutch-language “mourning cafes” for locals, with guest speakers giving lectures and guiding discussions.

Related Tags

Funeral Death Cemeteries Museums Collections Museums And Collections

Know Before You Go

The museum is easily accessed by metro from the city center to Amstelstation. Most exhibition texts are in both English and Dutch.

Community Contributors

Added By

leitsurner

Edited By

rosaleonie

  • rosaleonie

Published

August 29, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.totzover.nl/english/
  • https://www.totzover.nl
Museum Tot Zover
124 Kruislaan
Amsterdam, 1097 GA
Netherlands
52.346367, 4.938563
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Betondorp

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

Mark Bischof's Studio

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

Martin Luther King Park Statue

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Places 73
Stories 6

Nearby Places

Betondorp

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

Mark Bischof's Studio

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

Martin Luther King Park Statue

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Places 73
Stories 6

Related Places

  • B.C. era urn.

    San Antonio, Texas

    Roman Urn Collection at SAMA

    Amazingly detailed marble cinerary urns that once held the cremains of Roman elite.

  • New Orleans, Louisiana

    Museum of Death

    A collection of oddities including Dr. Kevorkian's suicide device, the Thanatron.

  • Ornamental skulls display in the Museum

    Aguascalientes, Mexico

    National Museum of Death

    A uniquely robust and historic look at Mexico's omnipresent dance with Death.

  • Bentside Spinet

    Manchester, England

    RNCM Collection of Historic Musical Instruments

    Over 300 historical instruments from around the world can be found in the Royal Northern College of Music's basement.

  • Outside Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum in Boulder City, NV, with the owner’s custom hearse parked in front.

    Boulder City, Nevada

    Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum

    A professional special effects makeup artist’s collection of horror creatures and one-of-a-kind recreations on display in downtown Boulder City.

  •  The 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air Bubble Top was such an icon, that even the Beach Boys sang its praises. Their song “409,” appeared on both their 1962 album Surfin’ Safari and 1963’s Little Deuce Coupe.

    Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

    Wheels of Yesteryear

    From the 1940 Ford Coupe that started it all 50 years ago, this collection of over 150 classic vehicles celebrates the spirit and history of American car craft.

  • Marietta, Ohio

    Cawley & Peoples Mortuary Museum

    What started as a display of antique hearses has grown into a museum exploring the history of the funeral industry.

  • Every tour begins in the basement, featuring a bar decorated in Russian vodka labels.

    Staten Island, New York

    Booze History Museum

    Crammed into several rooms of a Staten Island home, this museum is a vodka-soaked paean to the pleasures of drinking.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.