Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Best
Museums & Galleries
Amsterdam's world-class museums draw millions of visitors each year. The art
collections take pride of place - you can't walk a kilometre without bumping into
a masterpiece here. Canal-house museums are another local speciality. And, of
course, the freewheeling city has a fine assortment of oddball museums dedic-
ated to everything from tattoos to houseboats.
All the Art
The Dutch Masters helped spawn the prolific art collections around town. You've probably
heard of a few of these guys: Jan Vermeer, Frans Hals and Rembrandt van Rijn. They came
along during the Golden Age when a new, bourgeois society of merchants and shopkeepers
were spending money to brighten up their homes and workplaces. The masters were there
to meet the need, and their output from the era now fills the city's top museums.
Other Treasures
The Netherlands' maritime prowess during the Golden Age also filled the coffers of local
institutions. Silver, porcelain and colonial tchotchkes picked up on distant voyages form
the basis of collections in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Museum, Het Scheepvaartmu-
seum and Tropenmuseum.
Canal-House Museums
There are two kinds: the first preserves the house as a living space, with sumptuous interi-
ors that show how the richest locals lived once upon a time, as at Museum van Loon. The
other type uses the elegant structure as a backdrop for unique collections, such as the Kat-
tenkabinet for cat art.
