Fair distribution of national museums; top collections outside the Randstad deserve national recognition

This call comes at a time when funding disparities become sharply visible with the treatment of the Heritage Budget by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. It appears that residents of North Brabant, Limburg, and Zeeland have hardly any funds available for the preservation of nationally important collections. The three provinces believe this does not align with the principle that culture and heritage belong to everyone.

Jasper Kuntzelaers (Deputy for Heritage, Province of Limburg): “The three southern provinces also have a rich heritage that deserves to be seen and appreciated. Think of our regional language, major folk cultural events, and unique collections. These are also part of our national heritage. We believe everyone in the Netherlands should have equal opportunities to experience this cultural offering. By distributing national funds and attention more fairly, we ensure that the rich traditions of the southern provinces fully contribute to the Dutch story.”

The map is unevenly divided

Looking at the national distribution, a pattern that has existed for years is visible: the Netherlands has 31 national museums spread over 7 provinces. Of these, 24 are located in the Randstad. With that concentration, the money also moves: over €260 million in national contributions goes annually to national museums and thus mainly lands in a limited part of the country. At the same time, five provinces – North Brabant, Limburg, Zeeland, Groningen, and Drenthe – have no national museum.

Bas Maes (Deputy for Heritage, Province of North Brabant): “When it comes to the distribution of national funds for culture and heritage, a number of provinces – often those outside the Randstad – do not fare well. North Brabant is unfortunately one of them. We saw this earlier with the distribution of cultural funds and now also with the distribution of national museums. Of the more than a quarter of a billion euros going there, not a single euro lands below the rivers.”

Mesdag makes uneven growth visible

According to the provinces, the decision to grant Panorama Mesdag national museum status as of January 1, 2026, illustrates how the system currently works: when a national museum is added, it again happens in the Randstad. “It is good that heritage is preserved,” the provinces emphasize, “but this example also shows that the distribution still does not automatically move along with the ambition to make culture for all of the Netherlands.”

Harry van der Maas (Deputy for Heritage, Province of Zeeland): “For many people in Zeeland, the ‘national’ cultural offering is literally at a distance. While precisely in the region, the history of the Netherlands is tangible and museums keep the story alive. That is why I find it important that national funds for collections of national importance are also available for the regions.”

Call

North Brabant, Limburg, and Zeeland call on the House of Representatives and the cabinet to make the distribution of national museums and national funds visibly and measurably more balanced, so that every region has access to national museum facilities and the associated investments. This requires national policy that fully considers and structurally supports provincial museums with collections of national importance, instead of a distribution that repeatedly concentrates around the same ‘culture belt.’ National heritage belongs to all of the Netherlands and therefore deserves a fair place on the map.