With extremely limited space and high construction costs, Dutchies tend to make the most of existing buildings that have fallen into disuse.
As we already know, they are brilliant at repurposing old churches, turning them into gyms, bookstores, and even swimming pools. But are the Dutch as inventive when it comes to empty prison cells?
The short answer is yes — and it’s not just about repurposing.
Vacant cells te huur
Can you turn a prison into a cash cow without putting in extra effort and money? It’s definitely not impossible.
In the 2000s, when the Dutch prison population began to shrink, the Netherlands simply started… renting out vacant jail cells to other countries.
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In 2009, such a deal was signed with Belgium, and the first year of leasing brought the Netherlands a casual €30 million — niet slecht, toch? Five years later, it was Norway’s turn to send a few hundred inmates to the Netherlands.
However, the Dutch also started to put their prisons to other uses…
Not-so-sweet homes
Given the Netherlands’ housing crisis, it’s no wonder that disused prisons and jails were considered as one of the possible solutions to this problem.
What could go wrong when you turn cells into kamers (rooms) without trying too hard?
Based on the experience of one of the DutchReview authors, the idea of affordable housing of this sort wasn’t that bad. Some international students were pretty happy to find accommodation that didn’t cost a fortune.
A bit more of a questionable decision by the Dutch, however, was to turn former prisons into temporary housing for asylum seekers.
The bitter irony here is that some people fled their homes to avoid going to prison for political reasons — and ended up in prison anyway, luckily not surrounded by barbed wire (though often with barred windows and heavy steel doors).
Some prisons ended up in the hands of developers, who transformed them into attractive residential complexes.
For example, Tuin van Noord in Rotterdam now boasts spacious apartments of up to 280 square metres each. Could its former prisoners have imagined their gloomy home would eventually become something like this?
Luxurious hotels
Keeping up with developers, some hotel chains have renovated former prisons and filled them with modern, top-notch amenities. However, they still try to preserve some of the historical prison atmosphere to attract curious tourists.
The very name of the 5-star boutique hotel Het Arresthuis in Roermond gives a hint of its previous function, and barred windows provide travellers with another clue.
Even the luxury suites have evocative names like De Rechter (The Judge) and De Cipier (The Jailer).
The hotel Oostereiland in Hoorn, also known as Het Gevangenis Hotel (the Prison Hotel), offers different types of rooms, including tiny ones set in former jail cells.
It also has a bruidskamer (a bridal room), ideal for those wanting to thoroughly prepare for a lifelong sentence with their chosen person.
Another unique example is the historic Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam. Initially founded as a hotel for transatlantic voyagers, it was later turned into a prison and functioned as a youth detention centre for decades until it finally came a full circle and turned into a hotel again.
Business and cultural hubs
Remember ubiquitous TikTok videos and serious business news about a new Amazon office in a former prison?
While some publications exaggerated the situation, assuming that Amazon turned the entire Koepelgevangenis — a historic domed prison in Haarlem — into its workspace, there was some truth in those articles.
@laurajhyatt Did you know, one of the Amazon AWS offices is in a former prison? 🤯 #techtok #bigtech #aws #amazon #amazonoffice #awsjobs #amazonjobs #cloudcomputing ♬ Le Monde – From Talk to Me – Richard Carter
There’s indeed a business and digital tech hub right under the former prison’s iconic domed roof.
It’s called Cupola XS and offers a spacious circular co-working space, along with private offices and meeting facilities. The rest of the now-multifunctional building is occupied by even more interesting facilities, including a six-screen cinema.
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Another similar example can be found in Leeuwarden, where the old Blokhuispoort Prison (which seems more suitable for a Disney princess than dangerous criminals) is now occupied by around 130 creative entrepreneurs.
The building complex also houses eateries, pop-up stores, and even the city’s main library.
Educational facilities
What parent would voluntarily send their child to prison and even pay thousands of euros every year for it?
If we are talking about a former prison that has been transformed into an elite British school in Amsterdam, many people are interested in such a possibility.
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Formerly known as “Het Huis van Bewaring” (the House of Detention), the cross-shaped building near Amstelveenseweg had served as a prison for over a century.
However, since 2021, it has been occupied by well-behaved children of wealthy expats from all over the globe.
Interestingly, former prisons have already proved their suitability not only for schools but also for higher education institutions.
Thus, the above-mentioned De Koepel in Haarlem also serves as a campus of SRH Haarlem University of Applied Sciences.
An immersive prison experience
Although many former prisons have undergone miraculous transformations, others strive to stay as close to the original as possible. One of the best examples is The National Prison Museum.
Opened in 2005 in the “prison village” of Veenhuizen, the museum takes visitors through the Dutch history of crime and punishment from 1600 to the present.
Highlights include an authentic prison bus that was used to transport prisoners between residential and working institutions — and now operates two days a week to entertain the museum visitors.
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Another way to take on the role of a prisoner is to play a real-life game: be locked in a cell and try to find your way to freedom.
Some criticize escape rooms in former prisons (such as those in Haarlem and Arnhem) as “trivializing the building’s dark past.”
However, this industry seems to be thriving, turning not only separate cells but also entire buildings into immersive playgrounds.
Is the pendulum swinging back?
It would be great to see a moment when all the prisons in the Netherlands are transformed into something else. Unfortunately, some of them are still needed for their original purpose — moreover, there are no longer enough cells for convicted criminals.
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But don’t panic! No one is going to turn hotels and coworking spaces back into prisons. Creative minds at the Dutch authorities have already come up with various other solutions.
Ironically, one of them is… renting prison space in Estonia.
What do you think of this move? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
