The Amsterdam Museum houses a collection of artifacts, archaeological finds, clothes, jewelry, maps, paintings, and sculptures that chart Amsterdam’s metamorphosis over the centuries. The building was originally a convent, and in 1580, it became the city orphanage. Extensions were added by Hendrick and Pieter de Keyser before Jacob van Campen’s magnificent rebuilding of 1634. The orphans moved out in 1960; in 1975, the museum moved in.
Kalverstraat 92; Sint Luciënsteeg 27 • 020 523 1822 • www.amsterdammuseum.nl • Open 10am–5pm Mon–Sun • Adm $17 (under 18 free)
Amsterdam DNA—the story of the city from its beginnings as a trading port to the modern day—is housed on the first floor. “Het Kleine Weeshuis” (The Little Orphanage) is on the ground floor, portraying the museum’s former life. The permanent exhibition is displayed on two floors, with temporary exhibition spaces on the ground and first floors. The Civic Guards Gallery is located by the entrance. Most of the rooms are wheelchair accessible.
A pair of costly globes lent prestige to any self-respecting 17th-century intellectual. Joan Willemsz Blaeu must have made this unique pair after 1644 because they show the Australian coast, just discovered by Abel Tasman.
This exquisite mother-of-pearl Turbo marmoratus is covered in tiny engraved animals. It dates from c.1650 and was probably brought from the Orient by the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
This 1656 snapshot of the Dam by Johannes Lingelbach (1622–74) exudes energy.
Two gold and silver keys, made by Diederik Lodewijk Bennewitz, were presented by the mayor to Emperor Napoleon on his first and only visit in October 1811.
Take a virtual drive in “De Witkar” (The White Car). Luud Schimmelpennink’s idea, conceived around 1970, was one of the first car-share projects in the world. The electric cars are unlocked with a magnetic key.
The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, with the first ceremony of four couples taking place in 2001. These rings were worn by one of those couples.
Cornelis Anthonisz’s 1538 map of Amsterdam (the oldest extant) shows the Dam, Oude Kerk, and Nieuwe Kerk.
This 1625 oil painting by Werner Jacobsz van den Valckert (c.1580–1627) shows merchant and dyer Albert Burgh keeping watch over Amsterdam’s harbor.
Willem van de Velde’s (1633–1707) painting (1686) shows the Gouden Leeuw with a view of Amsterdam.
This bronze head was made in 1934 by Tjipke Visser (1876–1955), favorite sculptor of the Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SDAP). The subject was Floor Wibaut, SDAP Councillor for housing in the 1920s, who dedicated himself to building new apartments for the working class.
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