In the Spiegelkwartier (‘Mirror District’) the buying art lover will be in his element: virtually every building houses a gallery. Various catering establishments can be found on the lively Zeedijk, the domain of the Chinese, who even have a temple here. Not far from this street, on the other side of Central Station, the Openbare Bibliotheek (‘Public Library’) is located in an enormous and impressive building. A must, if only for the phenomenal view of the city.
Rijksmuseum
While the Rijksmuseum’s main building is undergoing major restoration work, the museum is taking the opportunity to turn the spotlight on some of its prize pieces as part of its Golden Age Masterpieces exhibit housed in the new Philips Wing.
Rijksmuseum Masterpieces
Exhibition Highlights
The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn
One of the most renowned paintings in the world, this depiction of a troop of militiamen is Rembrandt’s largest painting. Ever since it was completed in 1642, the painting has been a source of conflict, amazement, mystery, admiration, vandalism and analysis – which means it just has to be seen at least once. Numerous other works by Rembrandt are also on display, including the Anatomical Lesson of Dr. Deyman, Syndics of the Drapers' Guild and Self Portrait as the Apostle Paul.
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The Doll's House
The famous 17th century doll's house was commissioned by a wealthy woman, Petronella Oortman. She filled the doll's house with pieces commissioned from the best furniture-makers and artists, such as walnut cabinets and a four-poster bed complete with the finest linens. So much money was spent on the doll's house that it would have been as expensive as a real house in Amsterdam! The doll's house with its fascinating miniatures serves as an excellent replication of wealthy households at the time.
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The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer
This portrait of a Dutch kitchen maid is anything but humble. The painting is small but incredibly powerful and features a fascinating use of light and shadow. With quiet concentration, a woman stands near a window pouring milk into a bowl. The light falls on her hands; her silhouette is dark against the white wall. This painting is certainly one of the Rijksmuseum’s finest attractions. Vermeer fans will also enjoy his other works on display, such as the Love Letter, Woman in Blue Reading a Letter and The Little Street.
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The Merry Family by Jan Steen
Since Steen was a narrative painter, he attempted to tell a story in his paintings, borrowing subjects from mythology, the Bible, but also from daily life. Best known for his convivial and disorderly family scenes, it’s thanks to him that the Dutch have the phrase “a Jan Steen household”. Some of his other works included in the exhibition are the Feast of Saint Nicholas, the Drunken Pair and Children Teaching a Cat to Dance.
Home to so many of the world’s most revered works of art, the Rijksmuseum is a must-see for any visitor.
Amsterdam's Bijlmer - A multi cultural facet
Every city has an area that they have a love-hate relationship with. In Amsterdam this area is the Bijlmer. It’s about as far away as you can get from your typical cheese and clogs image of Amsterdam, but with around 100,000 residents from 150 ethnic backgrounds, this is a side of Amsterdam that shouldn't be overlooked.
With a large concentration of high-rise, purpose-built housing, the Bijlmer is not conventionally attractive – although the area is surrounded by rolling countryside and picturesque waterways. But you can’t come here and not feel something. Whether that’s slightly estranged by the high-rise flats or deeply fascinated by the conflicting contrasts you'll encounter here. Many of the Bijlmer’s inhabitants have tropical ethnic roots, and so it is home to exotic food, rhythmic music and colourful scenes. Curiously this area is also a hotspot for building hi-tech gleaming office buildings, so it is a true multicultural melting pot.
History
The Bijlmer saw the biggest urban expansion of Amsterdam in the 1960’s. On the drawing board it looked very impressive – a city of high-rise flats like a large honeycomb. But in the functional design, living, working and recreation were seen as separate activities and the new area was seen as bland and unattractive. As fewer middle-class people wanted to move here than originally planned, services were scaled back and did not materialize. And with the independence of Surinam in 1975, there was a great influx of Surinamese immigrants. Unemployment was rife and crime soared – something had to be done.
Renewal
After El Al Flight 1862 crashed into two Bijlmermeer buildings in 1992, the area underwent a vigorous urban renewal programme as part of Amsterdam’s Zuidoost (South East) municipality. It is no longer a satellite of Amsterdam but has its own throbbing city-heart and global multinationals, like ING, Staples and Nike have their European headquarters here. The sparkling Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station is a hub for busses, trains and metros and there are numerous restaurants and entertainment venues here, including the Heineken Music Hall and Pathe Arena multiplex cinema.
Football and shopping
The modern Amsterdam ArenA, built from 1993 to 1996 and with a capacity of 51,628 seats, is home to the most successful football club in the Netherlands, Ajax. Football fans can visit the Ajax Museum or tour the stadium and you might be lucky to see the team practicing. You should also pay a visit to Amsterdamse Poort, which is actually Amsterdam’s largest shopping area. Along with the usual chain-store offerings there are loads of smaller shops and stalls offering ethnic products from around the world – from spicy curry powder to exotic vegetables to hair extensions.
Amsterdam’s Bijlmer area is not on the usual tourist agenda, but if you want to see a uniquely contrasting side of Amsterdam, make sure to add Bijlmer to your itinerary.
The Heage
The Hague has very little of the edginess and excitement of Amsterdam; however, it provides well for its inhabitants in different ways, such as large areas of green space, 11 km of coastline, attractive shopping streets and an extensive multicultural scene. Rather than having canals like other Dutch cities, The Hague has streets and avenues that are just a little bit wider than those in the rest of the country, giving the city a more continental feel.
Instead of the typical Dutch renaissance 17th-century step-gabled houses, it has 18th-century mansions in baroque and classicist styles.
The city is considered by many as the most stately of the country. Just outside the city centre, posh neighbourhoods effuse a more 19th century look with eclectic and art nouveau architecture.
The Peace Palace
If you would like to find out what the Peace Palace looks like from the inside, you can join one of the guided tours, which are given in English, French, German or Dutch, and last about 50 minutes.
The Peace Palace is home to a number of organisations, one of which is the International Court of Justice. The Court sessions are public and take place in the Great Hall of Justice.
Escher Museum
Where do you find water flowing uphill, birds changing into fish and figures walking endlessly up and down the staircase in the same courtyard? Witness these and other wonders in the museum Escher in het Paleis in The Hague.
Escher in Het Paleis opened in November 2002 in Queen Emma's beautiful former palace on the Lange Voorhout. The palace houses a huge collection of prints and drawings by the world-famous Dutch artist M.C. Escher.
M.C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) is a master at drawing impossible situations. In one of his drawings water flows uphill and in another fish transmogrify into birds. Escher was influenced by his tutor Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, himself a great graphic artist, but also by the Moorish buildings and mosaics in Granada and Cordoba.
The Escher experience
Escher in Het Paleis is certainly the place to see the originals of famous works like 'Belvédère', 'Ascending and Descending', 'Day and Night' and parts of the 'Metamorphosis series'. But don't miss the other interesting exhibits, like the less well-known bookplates, wrapping paper designs for major stores, a New Year's greeting from friends and early self-portraits.
The ingenuity of Escher's work is fully revealed on the top floor of Het Paleis, where computer animation is used to throw a whole new light on the familiar pictures. This totally unique Virtual Reality experience will whirl you away on a thrilling 360-degree voyage of discovery right into the worlds of M.C. Escher. Actor Peter Faber will be your guide on this unforgettable experience, which also features opportunities for interaction and an exciting competition.
Gemeentemuseum
The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag is world-renowned. You can visit a fabulous collection of modern art and dozens of exhibitions every year in a sensational building designed by the Dutch architect H.P. Berlage.
The museum is best known for its collection of paintings and drawings by Piet Mondrian. In honour of the most famous Dutch painter of the 20th century, an entire section of the museum is permanently devoted to his early works as well as his last work, the sparkling ‘Victory Boogie Woogie’.
The Gemeentemuseum is one of the most important museums in the world for modern art. The museum's permanent collection contains not only works by Mondrian, but also works by Picasso, Appel and Klee as well as the Dutch landscapes of the Hague School paintings. In addition, the Gemeentemuseum organises dozens of top-notch expositions each year on modern art, decorative art and fashion.
You'll find the ‘Treasure Rooms’ on the ground floor, containing highlights from the various museum collections such as paintings by Picasso, Kandinsky, Toorop, Willink and Appel and the fantastic dollhouse from 1743. In the basement there is a special permanent exhibition for children and teenagers called the 'Wonderkamers'.
The Mauritshuis
The Mauritshuis is celebrated for its world famous collection of Dutch masterpieces from the 17th century. You’ll find a unique collection of paintings in this museum, once the home of Count Johan Maurits of Nassau-Siegen.
The Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis is housed in one of Holland's most outstanding classicist buildings next to the Binnenhof in The Hague’s fashionable city centre. The main collection consists of paintings from the Golden Age and a number of paintings from the 18th century. Over the last 200 years the collection of the Mauritshuis has grown from 200 paintings in 1822 to nearly 800 at present.
Paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jan Steen and Frans Hals form the core of the collection.
Unique collection
While the Mauritshuis is mainly known for its Dutch Golden Age paintings, including the Girl with a Pearl Earring, there is much more to see. How about a wonderful overview of Dutch and Flemish painting from the 15th to the 18th century? From Flemish primitive art to sun-drenched landscapes, from Biblical figures to detailed still lifes and from serene interiors to humorous genre pieces.
Madurodam
Behind two typically Dutch dykes lies the world-famous miniature city Madurodam, a perfect place to get to know all the fascinating aspects of the Netherlands. The two restaurants, the playground, shop and lighthouse picnic area complete the park.
Miniature city Madurodam, all of Holland in just one city!
The world-famous miniature city Madurodam, which is located within a stone’s throw of Amsterdam and the bulb fields, is an excellent place to familiarise with all the surprising features the Netherlands has to offer. The Alkmaar cheese market, the Peace Palace of The Hague, the Royal Palace on the Amsterdam Dam Square, the Cathedral Tower of Utrecht, the canal houses of Amsterdam, and parts of the Delta works, everything Holland is famous for can be found replicated to the smallest detail on a scale of 1:25.
Windmills turn, tour boats move down canals, fire-fighters are extinguishing a fire in the harbour, modern trains traverse the city on the world’s largest miniature railway. The shop has an extensive range of typical Dutch products and surprising souvenirs. A visit to nearby Scheveningen Beach and the various museums in the immediate vicinity, can be combined easily with a visit to Madurodam. Madurodam: worth a visit year round!
