Koepelgevangenis (Dome Prison), Arnhem

The Dome Prison in Arnhem stands as one of the Netherlands’ most striking former prisons, recognised for its distinctive domed structure and its role in the country’s evolving penal history. Completed in 1886, the complex was designed by the Dutch architect Johan Frederik Metzelaar, who drew inspiration from 19th-century ideas about surveillance and rehabilitation. Its vast circular layout, centred beneath an impressive brick-and-iron dome, reflects the belief that a single overseeing point could maintain order while allowing daylight to reach all cells. For many visitors, the building offers an immediate sense of how architecture once shaped the philosophy of imprisonment in Europe. Though it no longer functions as a prison, the Dome Prison remains an important example of this design movement and stands as a rare opportunity to explore a well-preserved monument of social and architectural history.

Today, the site has been adapted for cultural and community use, allowing travellers to engage with a structure that once housed inmates but now serves as a venue for events, exhibitions, and creative initiatives. Walking through its corridors and standing beneath the soaring dome gives a clearer understanding of the building’s scale, its acoustic character, and the discipline it originally sought to enforce. The surrounding grounds also retain elements of the original layout, offering further context for how the facility operated. For those interested in unconventional heritage sites, the Dome Prison provides a thoughtful and atmospheric stop within Arnhem, blending historical significance with a renewed contemporary purpose.