Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Rijksmuseum and Beyond
The best visual chronicle of the Golden Age is found in the
Rijksmuseum's portraits and slice-of-life scenes.
For a tour of the Rembrandts, Vermeers, and others,
J
see the
Rijksmuseum Tour on page 113.
On this walk, we've seen landmarks built during the city's
late-19th-century revival: Central Station, the Stadsschouwburg,
and now the Rijksmuseum. They're all similar, with red-brick and
Gothic-style motifs (clock towers, steeples, prickly spires, and
stained glass). Petrus Cuypers (1827-1921), who designed the train
station and the Rijksmuseum, was extremely influential. Mainly
a builder of Catholic churches, he made the Rijksmuseum, with
its stained-glass windows, a temple to art. Most of the building is
currently closed for renovation through 2013, with the highlights
of the collection beautifully displayed in its Philips Wing (around
back, on the right). Next to the Philips Wing, a small, free exhibit
describes the exciting renovation project.
Behind the Rijksmuseum are the Museumplein (always enter-
taining) and the Van Gogh Museum (
J
see tour on page 132). he
Heineken Experience (beer tour) is a half mile east of the Rijks
on Heinekenplein (see page 51), and the Albert Cuypstraat street
market is a block south of the Heineken Experience.
To return to Central Station (or to nearly anyplace along this
walk), catch tram #2 or #5 from the southwest corner of the Rijks.
Or walk north on Nieuwe Spiegelstraat, which leads (with a little
detour) back to the Mint Tower.
