In the collection: passports

Identity

In the collection: passports

A world without passports. We can’t imagine that now, but before the First World War it was perfectly normal to travel without documents.

Since ancient times, documents have existed to give individuals access to certain cities, ports or other places, but a system where everyone carries an identity document has only arisen recently.

Two special passports that are part of the FENIX collection are a Reisepass and a Nansen passport.

Nansen passport

The Nansen passport belonged to a 20-year-old Latvian man. Nansen passports were issued to people who had become stateless after the First World War. That is why they are also called the first refugee passport.

Reisepass

The Reisepass was issued in 1935 under the Nazi regime to the Jewish man Hans Rosenberg. He eventually travelled with the document via Rotterdam to Montevideo.

A passport determines, among other things, whether or not you are allowed to enter an area, what nationality you belong to and also what rights you have, such as the right to benefits or voting rights.

Within the passport system, not everyone has the same rights: for example, with a Dutch passport you can travel to 188 of the 195 countries, but only 65 of the 195 nationalities are admitted to the Netherlands without a procedure.

FENIX 2025

After the opening, in FENIX you will find contemporary art, photography and historical objects. The collection tells stories about the movement of people around the world. Stories from yesterday, today and tomorrow.

In the collection: passports

In the collection: the Berlin Wall

Building a collection