Museum of the Mind Dolhuys

The Museum van de Geest in Haarlem occupies the former Dolhuys, a building erected in 1320 as a leper and plague house and later converted into an asylum. It is devoted to how the human mind works and to the history of psychiatry. In 2022 it was named European Museum of the Year for its unusual blend of scientific interpretation, first-person patient testimony and contemporary art. An Amsterdam outpost extends the collection. Not a quick visit: historical restraints sit alongside installations on stigma and recovery, with long reading and listening stations.