Amsterdam Historical Museum, Amsterdam
The Amsterdam Historical Museum (Amsterdams Historisch Museum) doesn't quite qualify as a religious site, but we include it here for its scattered religious exhibits and, especially, for the context the museum provides for Amsterdam sightseeing in general.
Few cities in the world have gone to as much trouble and expense to display and explain their history as Amsterdam has, and few museums in the world have found as many ways to make such dry material as population growth and urban development as interesting as this one does.
In this large and fascinating museum, in the restored 17th-century former City Orphanage, century by century, you learn how a small fishing bog founded around 1200 became a major sea power and trading center by the 17th century
The main focus of the museum is on the city's 17th century Golden Age, a period when Amsterdam was the richest city in the world. This is the era when Arminius was questioning strict Calvinism at the University and Pilgrims were preparing to set sail to the New World. Some of the most interesting exhibits are of the trades that made Amsterdam rich. You can also view many of the famous paintings by the Dutch masters in the context of their time and place in history.
A beautiful and informative scale model from around 1677 shows a then-new Town Hall on the Dam, now the Royal Palace. Some of its outer walls and the roof have been removed to give you a bird's-eye look inside, which can make a later visit to the palace that much more enjoyable.
Economic downswings, French and Nazi occupations, radical politics, and the growth of multiculturalism round out the city's engaging story to the present day. Although rich with art, models, and plain old treasures, the museum also employs a lot of state-of-the-art technologies: many will delight in the five different speaking dollhouses that tell of daily life through the centuries and a "white car" in which you can cruise the city's streets. Budding musicians can even have a go on an old church carillon in one of the building's towers.
Among many other historic items are relics, banners and altar cushions associated with the Miracle of the Host in Amsterdam in 1345.
Visitor Information for the Amsterdam Historical Museum
| Address: | Kalverstraat 92, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 357, and Sint-Luciënsteeg 27 |
| Location: | Next to the Begijnhof |
| Phone: | 020/523-1822 |
| Tram: | 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25 to Spui |
| Hours: | Mon-Fri 10am-5pm; Sat-Sun and holidays 11am-5pm. Closed Jan 1, Apr 30, Dec 25 |
| Cost: | 6€ adults, 4.50€ seniors, 3€ children 6-16, children under 6 free |
More Information on the Amsterdam Historical Museum
Sources: Frommer's Amsterdam and Fodor's Amsterdam, 1st ed.
