The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is currently being renovated; it reopened on the 13th of April 2013.
The van Gogh museum is undergoing the same treatment. It will probably reopen its doors at the end of April 2013. Meanwhile, a large part of its collection will be on display at the Dutch dependence of the Saint Petersburg Hermitage. The address is listed below.
There are two Rijksmuseum, one on the airport Schiphol and the most important one, on Museumplein in the city’s Southern District.
There’s a gallery of prints on display, a library, but most importantly, it’s the many paintings of the seventeenth-century Dutch masters that attract most visitors.
Phone number: 020 6747000
Jan Luijkenstraat 1 (better known as Museumplein)
Table of Contents
Allard Pierson Museum, an archeological museum of the UvA
The Allard Pierson Museum is the archeological museum of the University of Amsterdam.
Allard Pierson was the first professor of history of art, aesthetics, and modern languages at the university.
Art and tools from 400 BC till 500 after from ancient civilizations such as the Roman empire and the regions of the near east portray a fair display of everyday life during antiquity.
Oude Turfmarkt 127
Phone: 020 52 52 556
Amstelkring (Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder)
Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (our dear Lord in the attic) is a former underground church on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal.
The building features a vestibule and 2 houses at the rear part of the structure. It served as an underground church during religious persecution.
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40
Phone: 020 624 66 04
The Amsterdam Historical Museum
This building used to be an orphanage, but these days it houses the history of Amsterdam. The museum has two entries.
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 357
Kalverstraat 92
Phone: 020 52 31 822
The Anne Frank House
Anne Frank is one of Hollands most famous citizens, this while she never was Dutch. She and her family spend over 2 years hidden in the now-famous annex on the Prinsengracht.
Prinsengracht 263-267
Phone: 020 55 67 100
Information tape: 020 55 67 105
Geelvinck
This unique house located on the Keizersgracht is on one of the famous canals that circle Amsterdam’s inner city. These canals are protected by UNESCO (Link.)
It has a coach house and a beautiful garden with a pond. This place reeks of former days when men wore wigs when opulence and extravagance were common to those able to afford a house on these canals. Often concerts take place there on Sunday afternoons.
Keizersgracht 633
Phone: 020 63 90 747
The Amsterdam Hermitage
This museum used to be a nursing home, but it houses a dependence on the Hermitage of Saint-Petersburg (formerly Leningrad.)
The Hermitage of Amsterdam has signed an agreement with the Russian government to allow it, in cooperation with the hermitage in St Petersburg, to produce several exhibitions each year displaying some of the vast articles of art held by the Russian museum.
Amstel 51
Phone: 0900 HERMITAGE (43 76 48 243) lokaal tarief
The Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam
The ‘Hortus’ is a botanical garden near the Amsterdam zoo known as Artis in the Plantage neighborhood. The garden is more than two and a half acres in size.
Plantage Middenlaan 2a
Phone: 020 – 625 9021
The Jewish Historical Museum
This museum displays the Jewish culture and history in Holland and is therefore not specifically focused on Amsterdam.
Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1
Phone: 020 5 310 310
Dutch Scheepvaart (maritime) museum
This museum was about its maritime history when Holland was still a world power, and its trading and naval ships sailed to every corner of the world. Part of its display is A Amsterdam, a trading ship that sailed to Indonesia, Holland’s primary colony in the East.
Oosterdok 2
Phone: 020 52 32 222
NEMO science center
NEMO is a technological museum where it’s possible to imitate scientific and technical developments in physics and chemistry, information technology, and biology.
Oosterdok 2
Phone: 020 531 32 33
The Royal Palace on Dam square
This was built to be the city’s new town hall, and it was just that from (1648 – 1808). Napoleon’s brother turned it into his palace after the Emporer had conquered The Netherlands and appointed his brother Louis as king. It was an imperial French palace from (1808 – 1813) and a National palace of the Dutch royal family ever since.
It is not always open to the public is, and the areas that can be visited rather vary.
Dam
Phone: 020 620 40 60
The Rembrandt house
One of Holland’s most famous historical figures is no doubt Rembrandt of Rijn. He lived in the seventeenth century and was familiar with both rags and riches. He resided in the Sint-Anthonisbreestraat (now partly called Jodenbreestraat), the house is open to visitors.
Jodenbreestraat 4
Phone 020 5200 400
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
There are two Rijksmuseum, one on the airport Schiphol and the most important one, on Museumplein in the city’s Southern District. There’s a gallery of prints on display, a library, but most importantly, it’s the many paintings of the seventeenth-century Dutch masters that attract most visitors.
Phonenummer: 020 6747000
Jan Luijkenstraat 1 (better known as Museumplein)
Stedelijk (municipal) Museum
The ‘Stedelijk’ brings both classical and modern art together; there are almost 100.000 objects on display, among them paintings, sculptures, sound & images, posters, photos, and industrial designs.
Paulus Potterstraat 13
Phone: 020 – 5732 911
Tropenmuseum (tropical)
This museum contains both traditional and modern art from various cultures, mainly from tropical areas. It is a continuation of the colonial museum and includes many objects and photos from Indonesia, New Guinea, and Suriname.
Linnaeusstraat 2
Phone: 020 568 8200
The Van Gogh Museum
The Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh, has overtaken Rembrandt when it comes to notoriety. This is partly due to the splendid marketing campaign that accompanied the “year of Gogh” year.
The collection contains more than two hundred paintings, five hundred drawings, and seven hundred letters by Vincent van Gogh. His library is also housed here.
Paulus Potterstraat 7
Phone: 020 570 52 00
Van Loon
The most beautiful garden (!) in Amsterdam “and” surroundings is found right in the heart of this city. These premises, dating back to 1672, also contain one of this city’s finest historic houses. It will leave you with a taste of how the upper classes lived during the seventeenth century as the furniture and decor since then barely changed.
Its first occupant was the well-known painter Ferdinand Bol, a pupil of Rembrandt. As a result, there is a large collection of paintings, beautiful furniture, porcelain, and silver from various ages to be admired.
Keizersgracht 672
Phone: 020 62 45 255
Willet-Holthuysen
This museum is a dependence of the Amsterdams Historisch Museum. Like Loon, it paints an accurate picture of life in an elegant upper-class house on the Amsterdam canals during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The museum’s collection contains silverware, ceramics, glassware, furniture, books, and works of art.
Herengracht 605
Phone: 020 52 31 822
The Woonboot (houseboat) Museum
Several museums are not specifically mentioned here, but this one is unique in the world. It’s worth a visit and not just to tourists. It’s located on the “Hendrik Maria,” a former freighter from 1914 that was later converted into a houseboat and has since become a museum.
The schip lies closeby the Anne Frankhuis, the Elandsgracht, the Negen straatjes, the Westertoren and the Leidseplein, so a visit could easily fit into your schedule.
Prinsengracht at the head of the Elandsgracht (Johnny Jordaanplein)
Phone: 020 42 70 750
Zoõlogisch Museum
This naturalistic museum is a part of the University of Amsterdam (faculty of science, mathematics, and computer science)
The three buildings are primarily used for scientific purposes.
Mauritskade 61
Phone: 020 525 5422
Other Establishments
Some commercial institutions call themselves museums, such as the vodka museum, the sex museum, and the hashish museum. However, these don’t really cut it for me.
There are far more beautiful buildings, collections, and exhibitions to visit, but the purpose of this site is to portray the present, past, and future of Amsterdam and keep it simple.
And yet, there are a few more that I wish to mention; for further info about them, I’ll refer you to Wikipedia.
Ajax Museum
Beurs (bourse of) of Berlage
Bijbels (biblical) Museum
Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst (modern art)
Electrische Museumtramlijn (trams)
Filmmuseum films)
FOAM Fotografiemuseum (photography)
Het Schip (the ship)
Hollandsche Manege (horse riding)
Multatuli Museum
Nieuwe Kerk (new church)
Oude Kerk (old church)
Persmuseum (press)
Stadsarchief Amsterdam (city archives)
Theo Thijssen Museum
Verzetsmuseum (the resistence)
Amsterdam Breathes Culture
Times long past come back to life again on streets and in the many museums. One valid point of criticism is that so many museums are being renovated at the same time. Many museums that were closed for many years show evidence of mismanagement and perhaps disdain for culture and commerce.
It is precisely these museums that attract so many visitors to visit Amsterdam.
Amsterdam counts more than fifty museums on the most divergent subjects featuring so many collections, so there’s plenty to see.