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
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
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 »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
The fried green tomato sandwich comes on jalapeño cornbread toast.
Café Reconcile
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
13 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
14 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
15 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
16 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 76
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 76
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.