Open Monumentendag is free on 12 and 13 September: add up what those buildings charge on a normal day

On 12 and 13 September thousands of monuments across the Netherlands open free of charge, in what is the fortieth edition. This year's theme is Veerkrachtig erfgoed, in tijden van onzekerheid, resilient heritage in uncertain times. Alongside the open doors there are exhibitions, guided tours, cycling routes, walks and musical performances, a share of them built specifically for children. The national opening is on Friday 11 September, hosted by the province of Flevoland.

The real problem that weekend is not where to go but how to choose, because the list is enormous. One sum shortens it. Look up the normal-day admission for each of the buildings you already wanted to see, and add those figures together. That total is what the weekend is actually worth to you. Church towers, town halls and water towers that charge five to ten euros on an ordinary day will, strung three-deep across a morning, save you twenty or thirty. A park bench that is free every other day of the year adds nothing to that total no matter how historic it is. Sort by that sum first, then sort again by walking distance.

Two things are worth knowing in advance. First, what is free is the entry, not the slot: towers, cellars and private houses that can only take a few people at a time often require a time slot booked on the local committee's own page, and each municipality publishes its own list and its own rules rather than the national site handing them out centrally. Second, this is the middle of September in the Netherlands, and any list mixing indoor and outdoor stops needs to be reorderable in rain, so keep two indoor buildings on the list as the fallback rather than hunting for shelter on the day.Source 1

• The fortieth edition, running across the two days of 12 and 13 September.
• This year's theme is Veerkrachtig erfgoed, in tijden van onzekerheid.
• The national opening is on Friday 11 September, hosted by the province of Flevoland.
• Beyond the open doors there are exhibitions, guided tours, cycling and walking routes and musical performances.
• The organisers run a separate page for families with children, listing what suits younger visitors.
• Listings and time slots are published by each municipal committee rather than centrally on the national site.

Hokimi tip: go to your own municipality's committee page first rather than stopping at the national site. The listings, the time slots and whether anything needs booking all live at that local layer; the national site only tells you the weekend exists.

Where

Thousands of buildings nationwide, listed by each municipal committee

When

Saturday and Sunday, after a Friday opening hosted by Flevoland

Price

Entry free of charge

Booking

Towers, cellars and private houses usually need a slot from the local page

Note

Free entry does not mean an open door, and popular slots can fill in advance.