Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museumplein
The city's largest square was
first landscaped in 1872, but it
was ruined in 1953 when a hair-
raising stretch of road - which
locals nicknamed ”the shortest
motorway in Europe” - was built
across it. Completely redesigned
between 1990 and 1996, it is
now a great swathe of green,
still more functional than beautiful,
but giving an uninterrupted view
from the Rijksmuseum to the
Concertgebouw. It has children's
play areas and a pond that is
frozen over to form an ice-rink in
winter. Various events are staged
here - from circuses to political
demonstrations - and it is the
setting for
Hel van Vuur
(Hell of
Fire), a monument to all gypsies
persecuted by the Nazis, as well
as the Ravensbrück Memorial
(see p49)
. The district is one of
the wealthiest in Amsterdam,
with broad streets lined by grand
houses.
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Map C6
Diamonds
Amsterdam has been a centre of
diamond cutting, polishing and
trading since the 16th century,
when Jews, fleeing the Spanish
Inquisition, brought the business
to the city. The trade flourished in
the late 19th century with the
influx of Jews from Antwerp,
many of them skilled in the
industry, and with the import of
diamonds from South Africa.
Coster Diamonds
Founded in 1840 and now
occupying three grand villas,
Coster is one of a handful of
diamond workshops offering
guided tours. About 30 minutes
in length, they give you the
opportunity to observe stone
graders, cutters and polishers at
work. In 1852, the
Koh-i-Noor
(mountain of light) diamond was
re-polished here for the British
Crown Jewels, and a replica of
the crown that contains it -
incorporating a copy of the
fabulous blue-white stone - is
displayed in the entrance hall. If
your budget will allow it, there
are also diamonds and jewellery
for sale over the counter.
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Paulus Potterstraat 2-8
•
Map C5
•
020
305 5555
•
www.costerdiamonds.com
•
Open 9am-5pm daily
•
Free
Nederlands Filmmuseum
“Museum” is a slight
misnomer for this institution, as
the Nederlands Filmmuseum no
longer has an exhibition. What it
does have is an archive of more
than 30,000 films, ranging from
classic to art-house, a selection
of which is screened here
throughout the year. The entire
collection is housed in a glorious
19th-century pavilion at the edge
of the Vondelpark. The building,
designed by the architects P J
Hamer and his son W Hamer,
opened in 1881 as a fashionable
teahouse. It has since undergone
two major renovations, in 1947
and 1991.
d
Vondelpark 3
•
Map B5
•
Box Office: 020 589 1400.
www.filmmuseum.nl
•
Information
Centre: Vondelstraat 69-71. 020 589
1435
•
Open 10am-5pm Tue-Thu,
11am-5pm Sat
Coster Diamonds
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