Netherlands 3.1

The care for heritage is a complex interplay of owners, businesses, heritage organizations, national, provincial, and local governments, and a great many volunteers. The Netherlands has committed itself to various international agreements on the preservation and protection of heritage (see table 2, chapter 4.2.1). These have been incorporated into national legislation, the most important is the Heritage Act.

Table 3: Facts about Dutch Heritage

Source: RCE van 2025 (Erfgoedmonitor – Kerncijfers – Kerncijfers – Nederland)

The Heritage Act (Erfgoedwet ) was installed in July 2016 to merge various regulations and laws on national collection, museums, monuments, archaeology and intangible heritage (see chapter 4.2.2). The main measures based on the Heritage Act are the ‘Regulation on the Management of the National Collection and Subsidization of Museum Institutions’ (Rbr), the ‘Subsidy Scheme for the Preservation of Monuments’ (SIM), and the ‘Heritage Act Archaeology Decree’ (BEa). The Heritage Act was evaluated in 2023.

The Environment and Planning Act (Omgevingswet) (2024) is the second important law that regulates cultural heritage in the physical living environment, complimenting the Heritage Act. The following elements are included in the Environment and Planning Act: permits for (archaeological) national monuments; the protection and preservation of the specific historic character of a village, town or city; the appointment of a monument committee; the need to take cultural heritage into account in environmental plans; and the designation of provincial and municipal monuments (see also chapter 4.2.2).

The Cultural Heritage Agency (Rijksdienst voor het Cultuur Erfgoed, RCE) is part of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and connects policy, practice and science. The RCE is part of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, awards grants for monuments, historic buildings, archaeology and cultural landscapes, and implements the Heritage Act. The RCE is also a centre of expertise concerning the conservation and registration of museum collections. It manages part of the art collection of the government and supports the collection managers with knowledge, research and advice. The RCE also takes care of the online Collection Netherlands (Collectie Nederland) and is responsible for the Heritage Monitor (Erfgoedmonitor ) which presents facts and figures about cultural heritage in the Netherlands (basic facts in English: Heritage Data 2024).

The Mondriaan Fund gives grants for innovative projects, participation-projects, international collaboration in cultural heritage. The Fund for Cultural Participation also has programs for heritage volunteers.

The Information and Heritage Inspectorate, is an independent body, and ensures compliance with the law and promotes improvements to the care of cultural heritage. The Inspectorate takes action in the event of incidents and calamities, and advises the Minister of Culture on the quality and effectiveness of the legislation.

In his policy letter (2024) Minister Eppo Bruins gave his reaction on the Policy Evaluation Heritage. The evaluation concluded that, generally speaking, Dutch historic and cultural heritage was in fairly good condition. However, the research pointed to series of improvements addressed in in the letter. Some were more or less technical improvements of the Act (like definitions, clarifications), others included research on the improvement of some policy measures. Examples are the threat posed by spatial challenges (climate, energy, housing development) to significant cultural landscapes, and the limited capacity and expertise in the field of heritage within municipalities and provinces.

The importance of heritage for national identity is a returning focus in Dutch cultural policy. In 2006 after intense public and political discussions about its necessity, the Canon of the Netherlands was developed: an overview of important events, people, texts, artworks and objects from the Dutch history. Another example is the development of a new National Historical Museum, initiated by the parliament years ago, and incorporated into the coalition agreement of the Cabinet Balkenende IV (2007-2010). Due to budget cuts on culture in 2012 the realisation of the museum was abandoned. In the Coalition agreement of the Cabinet Rutte IV (2022-2024), the idea re-appeared in the form of the intention “to contribute to a National Historical Museum”. In developing the idea, this time the starting point was not to construct a new building, but rather to undertake activities aimed at increasing interest in Dutch history. (policy letter 2023 State Secretary Gunay Uslu).

Reconsidering the Dutch colonial past lead to a contribution of the national government to The National Museum of Slavery, to be developed in Amsterdam. Another policy includes the Repatriation of cultural heritage from a colonial context, that started in 2022, after an advice of the Council for Culture. In February 2025, the Colonial Collections Commission advised on the restitution of 113 ‘Benin Bronzes’ to Nigeria. The Colonial Collections Consortium supports institutions administering collections in provenance research by sharing knowledge.

The Netherlands ratified the Faro Convention on the Value for Cultural Heritage for Society. Dutch Heritage Agency coordinates a program (in Dutch) that focus on heritage as a medium for memories and identities, and as a contributor to social cohesion, well-being, and health.

Since 2019, the ministers of education, culture, and science from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Netherlands have held annual consultations. In this context, a joint working group on intangible heritage was established in 2023.

More information on heritage and heritage policy: Cultuurmonitor – Heritage and Heritage Data 2024)