5 Reasons why you should visit the Bakery Museum in Hattem

In the summer of 2020 we drove all the way from Nootdorp to Hattem to visit the local Bakery Museum (for Dutch standards that’s a long time but for my family in Canada who are used to driving long distances – that’s nothing). It took us about an hour and 45 minutes.

Okay let’s go over to why the bakery museum in Hattem is a must see.

Hattem is a small village with old historical buildings and is very photogenic. The museum itself is divided over four charming buildings that are connected undergrounds by a tunnel.

This bakery museum is the biggest of its kind in the Netherlands and it shows you the history of daily life of a baker 150 years ago and now. Inside the museum you see how they did things back then, what items they used and you learn about the history of bread and baking.

After we went through the museum the kids got to make their own gingerbread cookies. A young chef explained to them how to knead the dough and roll it out. The kids loved getting their hands in there and working the dough and decorating it. This was their favourite thing of the museum of course (after eating).

Next we had to wait half an hour for the gingerbread to bake and in the meantime we went to the museum theatre. The show was in Dutch (but even if you don’t understand you can still get something out of it) and the baker was just hilarious. He was teaching about bread and telling jokes at the same time while also making amazing creations with his bread like a porcupine, a swan, etc. Even though our kids didn’t understand all of it, they still enjoyed his humor and performance. This part was a highlight of the museum, what a great guy!

There is a “Poffertjessalon” where we ordered some Dutch “poffertjes” with powdered sugar. These are like mini pancakes, your kids will love them! You can sit outside and enjoy your snack next to a stunning old building, it was perfect. I loved looking inside to see the old fashioned interior with all the different kinds of cake laid out. By this time the kids got their gingerbread cookies, so that made it all complete. 

There is also a museum shop and a real bakery that is open on Saturday mornings between 7.30 and 12 ‘o clock.

We all had a great time and the kids loved it. I think especially because the kids get to do some baking themselves and the museum theatre makes it all come alive. It’s in a gorgeous setting and it feels a little like walking back in time. 

Here is great link to see it. I hope you enjoyed reading this article, leave me a message and let me know if it was helpful. If you need some more ideas for what to see in The Netherlands, here is an article about the top 10 things to do. Until next time!