Places

Amsterdam has many museums, theaters and excursions, but there are more for the foreigner. Inside the city, there are many places for meeting.

Riekermolen - Windmill

The Riekermolen is a windmill that was constructed in 1636. Also, it is in the Amstel riviera. That windmill was employed once for drained a territory. Today the windmill serves the weekends. 

Ets Haim Library

Ets Haim's library is the jewess library more old in the world since the Amsterdam's golden age. The complete works of Ets Haim are more of 500 manuscripts that are since 1282 and 30.000 works that are since 1484.  

Noorderkerk

The Noorderkerk is a church of XVI century and is in the city's center. Besides, it is a protestant church, but also it is one of all the places more beautiful inside the city. The classic aspect from the church and the excellent acoustic does of this a place for many events, like the dinners, receptions, presentations, conferences, reunions, fashion shows and concerts.  

Also, the church is ideal for the traditional marriages, funerals or others services.

Magere Brug 

One of all bridges of Amsterdam is the beautiful Magere Brug. This bridge was so strait that was difficult walk with other person at the same time. In 1871, the bridge was enlarge. At nights, the Magere Brug is so popular with the couples and the photographers. Thousand of romantics lights are on during the night for do of Magere Brug one of all the beautiful bridges in Amsterdam. 

Museums

Museums

Amsterdam is the house of the famous museums around the world. The city has museums and galleries that are adapted to all the interest types.  

Van Gogh's Museum

It was open in 1973. The Vang Gogh's Museum is one of all the museums more popular of the world. It has the majority of Vicent Van Gogh's works, like 200 paintings, 500 designs and 700 letters. In the museum is possible see the evolution of the works. Also, the museum has many expositions about the art's history of XIX century. 

Anna Frank's house

The Anna Frank's house in Amsterdam is where she was live underground with her family for more of two years during the Second World War. Today, this house is a museum that has an exposition about the persecution of Jews during the war and the discrimination. 

Inside the museum there are historical documents, photographies, images and original objects. Also, there is the original Anna's daily and others books. 

Stedelijk museum.

The Stedelijk museum was open in 1874, and it is an art's and design's institution more important in Amsterdam. It is recognized as one modern and contemporaneous art's collection more important in the world, because it has more of 90.000 works, like paintings, sculptures, videos and installations, works in paper, artist's books, photographies, graphic designs, applicate arts and industrial design that are since 1870 until today. 

Foam 

Foam is a photographic museum about all the photographic genres, like artistic photography, documental, applicated, historical and contemporaneous photography. That museum organizes forums, conferences and debates. Clearly, Foam exposes big expositions about the popular photographers, but also exposes little works from young talents.

Urban Art

Urban Art Scene in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is abounding in all kinds of street artistic activity: concerts, theatre performances, art installations, street fashion, graffiti’s, stencils, wood blocking, street paintings, murals. This rich flow of creative expression is to a large extent related to the multicultural, international character of Amsterdam, traditionally city of commerce, exchange and tolerance.

Walking through the city, you will meet street performers focused on tourists, on the two most busy city squares: 















                  


                  Dam square                                                                  Leidseplein


 However this is the least interesting side of the street artistic activity in Amsterdam, as the city flows with new and free artistic movements. Next to expressions of original street fashion, graffiti’s and all forms of street art – unofficial and alternative, Amsterdam has numerous interesting pieces of art standing in the street. These are not only official monuments to famous people or memorials of important historical events, but often simply the pieces of modern art, addressing the city street crowd.

 Monuments and steet sculptures:


Amsterdam has hundreds of monuments and street sculptures. Like in any other modern city, numerous new street sculptures are putting an accent on unofficial, playful, experimenting. Together with old, traditional monuments often commemorating past kings and heroes, these habitually modest art pieces create a unique atmosphere of this city.

So many statues

Fortunately Amsterdam boasts a great many wonderful statues and sculptures today. We have listed a few in the city centre for you:

• Rembrandt van Rijn on Rembrandtplein square
• Joost van den Vondel at the Vondelpark
• Johan Rudolph Thorbecke on Thorbeckeplein square
• De Stedemaagd at the entrance to the Vondelpark
• De Schilddrager (shield bearer) near Amsterdam Central Station
• Jezus Heilig Hart at the Begijnhof
• Ferdinand Nieuwenhuis on Nassauplein square
• Vrouwe Fortuna on Muntplein square
• De Dokwerker on Daniël Meijerplein square
• Arthur van Schendel on the Stadhouderskade
• Jongen met Haan (Boy with Cock) on Hoekenes
• The National Monument on Dam square
• Het Lieverdje on the Spui
• Het Zaagmannetje (little saw man) in the tree of the Leidsebosje
• Bredero on Nieuwmarkt square
• Woutertje Pieterse and Femke on Noordermarkt square
• Theo Thijssen near the Lindengracht
• Vrouwen van Ravensbrück (the Ravensbrück Women, a WWII memorial) on Museumplein square
• Anne Frank on the Westermarkt
• Man met Vioolkist (man with violin case) on the Tweede Marnixplantsoen
• Multatuli near the Torensluis
• Simon Carmiggelt at the Eerste Weteringplantsoen
• The Violinist at the Stopera
• Tante Leen on Johnny Jordaanplein square

Street musicians

The Dutch have always been great music lovers and in Amsterdam there is a centuries long tradition of street musicians. You may meet them on the Spui square, on the Museumplein, and on canals near the Old City centre. Often the music schools students play pieces of classical music in the streets, sometimes on a very high musical level. The percussion instruments have been forbidden by the municipality and the law allows for concerts not longer than 30 minutes. It is the traditional custom that on Queensday small children play on instruments. 

                       Museumplein                                                                        Spui square

        

Street performers

Like centuries ago, there are still people who perform as actors in small theatre acts on Amsterdam street and squares. Fighting for their rights, they even established their own Street Theatre Union (SAS). In summer, these small theatre companies perform mostly for children. In 2010 Amsterdam municipality gave street performers the permission to use electric sound amplifiers “within certain limits”.

Street fashion

In today’s era of omnipresence of all kind of media, the fashion industry influences, what ordinary people wear. New collections make news not only on television, but are also shown on street monitors and in shops. Conversely, the fashion industry is strongly influenced by the way young people dress. Amsterdam crowd is full of unusually dressed people. Two times a year Amsterdam Fashion Week puts a spotlight on the street wear trends. 

Graffiti

While graffiti is often perceived as vandalism and penalised by the law, in Amsterdam there were many attempts by the municipality to reach out to the graffiti artists. Commissions have been given to the most known graffiti artists, galleries began trading in graffiti art, some pieces were purchased by the modern art collections. Graffiti’s are often painted on temporary construction fences, so this scene changes every day.

Street Art

Artistic events which came to the streets of the world’s big cities after graffiti, is now called shortly “street art”. This artistic stream includes not only painting techniques close to graffiti as stencilling and wood blocking, but also all kind of artistic performances and protest art activism. Amsterdam is one of the favourite big cities for the so called street workers. Some of the new galleries as ArTicks, are specialized in underground street art.

Architecture

Amsterdam is known for her luxurious mansions along the canals and charming gable facades. However, Amsterdam is full of architectural treasures to delight design lovers for weeks. From mills and cantilever bridges to buildings of the Amsterdam School and avant-garde design. 

Typical Amsterdam 

Many of the houses along the canals were built in the seventeenth century, at the height of the Golden Age Amsterdam. In these mansions lived and worked the richest families. The houses along the canals are characterized by spectacular gables and its double entry - the owners of the house accessed by the upper door, while the servants did the door beneath the stairs. To save taxes by the feet of frontage, these houses were usually long and narrow, with a hook on the top for lifting furniture and goods through the windows. 

If anything in Amsterdam know, it's bridges: citywide is nothing less than 1281! Not surprisingly, in a city surrounded by canals. Some of them are incredibly romantic, others are amazing feats of engineering, and others just .... impossible to define. Here are some bridges tend to your visit to Amsterdam. 

You may not know it, but Amsterdam has more canals than Venice and more bridges than Paris. And most of them are illuminated at night, adding more charm if it fits the canal belt of Amsterdam. Many of the bridges in the city are very specific, such as the Skinny Bridge (small bridge), which has been made ​​into a film story. With so much work, it is normal Dutch engineers are famous bridges around the world. 

The Old Bridge Width and Amsterdam 

The Torensluis is the oldest bridge in Amsterdam which is preserved in its original state. Built in 1648, the Torensluis is also the widest bridge in the city, with no less than 39 meters from end to end. Below you can see the barred windows of an old prison. The name means "Lock de la Torre," referring to the ancient tower of Jan Roodenpoortstoren destroyed in 1829 the statue of Multatuli Here it is also the author of the book "Max Havelaar". 

The architecture in the area of ​​eastern dyke of Amsterdam, The ancient seaport of Amsterdam, the eastern dyke (Oosterdok) has changed rapidly since it was allowed to build houses at the end of last century. Renowned architects, specialized in constructions in coastal areas, have transformed the old harbor buildings and dams to become a modern residential area of ​​Amsterdam. 

Modern living in historic warehouses 

This relatively new urban area of ​​Amsterdam is ideal for a stroll on foot or by bicycle. Then you will notice that after an ancient appearance, warehouses hidden inside very modern housing. In this area there are many restaurants, theaters and nightclubs. For example, the Bimhuis and Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ are located in this neighborhood. 

                             

East Street in Amsterdam.

building on the east side of the city.

Royal Palace in Amsterdam. 

The Royal Palace is located in Amsterdam's Dam Square. It is one of three palaces that still uses the Royal Family today. 

Although the Royal Palace in Amsterdam is the official residence of King William Alexander, on occasion it is used for official receptions. 

History of the Royal Palace 

In the beginning, 350 years ago, the Palace was the City of Amsterdam. In 1808, King Louis Napoleon Bonaparte il transformed into a palace and has remained so since. However, when you enter the palace you can still see remnants of its original function. 

The Royal Palace is open to the public most days. Visitors can admire the marble floors, magnificent paintings, delicate sculptures, gigantic chandeliers and an annual exhibition.

                    

The royal palace in Amsterdam