the rijksmuseum and other Amsterdam, Netherlands Things to Do Tips

the rijksmuseum is an amsterdam landmark. this impressive neo-gothic building was built in 1885. one of the world's great art museums it possesses an impressive collection of dutch art. following is a small sampling of the masterpieces of the museum, dirck jacobsz, "pompejus occo", cornelisz van oostsanen, "self portrait", anthonisz, "banquet of the civic guard", avercamp, "great winter landscape", frans hals, "the merry drinker", versprock, "girl in blue", vermeer's "the kitchen maid", jan steen's "lady at her toilet". the rijksmuseum has a huge collection of the works of rembrandt van rijn, some examples are "the jewish bride", "self portrait as st. paul", " the syndics of the cloth guild", and his famous "the night watch". the rijksmuseum is a must see site when visiting amsterdam.

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Phone: +31-20-6747047
Address: Stadhouderskade 42
Directions: museum quarter, central amsterdam
Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl

on the first floor of the museum is a collection of the works of vincent van gogh. a couple of examples are, "the bedroom at arles", "vase with sunflowers" and the "wheatfield and crows". the ground floor has a collection of 19th century impressionist art.

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Phone: +31-20-5705252
Address: Paulus Potterstraat 7
Directions: museum quarter, central amsterdam
Website: http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl

the rembrandthuis (house) is an interesting place to visit when in amsterdam. the building was built in 1606, the year of rembrandt's birth, and rembrant lived there from 1639 to 1660. there is an excellent collection of rembrandt's drawings as well as several paintings. you can visit his studio, personal rooms, and his showroom were he sold his works of art. a worthwhile site to visit. open 10:00am to 5:00pm monday-saturday. 1:00pm to 5:00pm sundays.

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Phone: +31-205200400
Address: Jodenbreestraat 4
Directions: nieuwmarkt area, tram 9, 14.
Website: http://www.rembrandthuis.nl

between 1942 and 1944 two jewish families, the franks and the van daans hid in the attic of this house from the nazis. 13 year old anne frank wrote a diary about her life in hiding. in 1944 they were discovered by the nazis and sent to concentration camps. anne's father otto frank was the only one to survive the war. anne franks diary was published by her father and has sold millions of copies. a sign in the house states that this is just one of six million stories. a disturbing but historically important place to visit.

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Phone: +31-20-5567100
Address: Prinsengracht 267
Directions: jordaan quarter
Website: http://www.annefrank.nl

the amsterdam history museum is located in 16th century orphanage. the museum has many displays and maps depicting the the development of the city. the museum also has a number of works of art by famous amsterdam artists. a couple of examples, rembrandt, "the anatomy lesson of dr. jan deijman", gerrit berckheyde, "the flower market", nicolaas van der waay, "girls from the civic orphanage" and d.d. van santvoort's "the regentesses and the two housemistresses of the spinhuis". an interesting museum to visit. open daily.

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Phone: +31-20-5231822
Address: Kalverstraat 92
Directions: nieuwe zijde district, tram 1.2.4.5.9,13,14,16,17,24,25.
Website: http://www.ahm.nl

the waag is amsterdam's oldest gate house. built in 1488 it has served many purposes over the years. in 1617 it was used as a public weighhouse, (waaggeboune). in 1619 the guild of surgeons had their anatomy theatre here. since nieuwmarkt square was the site of public executions there was an ample supply of cadavers to dissect. these dissections were the inspiration for rembrandt's "the anatomy lesson of dr. tulup", and "the anatomy lesson of dr. jan deijman". today the waag is a restaurant.

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Address: Nieuwmarkt
Directions: oude zijde quarter. tram 9,14.

the munttoren, (mint tower) was originally a gate in the medieval city wall. the clock tower was added in 1699. the tower acquired it's name in 1673 when the city mint was housed there. not open to the public

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Address: muntplein
Directions: mutplein, central amsterdam tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, 25.

the zuiderkerk is a prominent amsterdam landmark. built in 1603 it was a calvinist church. closed as a church in 1929 it is now a public housing exibition center. the tower is open to the public.

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Phone: 680 6806
Address: zuiderkerkhof 72
Directions: oude zijde, metro: nieumarkt, tram: 9. 14.

the schreierstoren, (weepers tower), was a defensive tower in the medieval city wall. built in 1480 it is one of the few medieval fortifications that still exist in the city. in 1609 henry hudson set sail from here for the east indies, of course as all new yorkers know, he discovered a river in america instead.

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Phone: +31-20-4288291
Address: Prins Hendrikkade 94/95
Directions: oude zijde, near central station. tram 1,2,4,5,9,13,16,17,24,25.
Website: http://www.schreierstoren.nl/

the red light district is certainly a unique part of amsterdam. prostition in amsterdam dates back to the 13th century. known as de walletjes, (the little wallet), it attracted sailors for centuries. in the 16th century the calvinists tried to ban prostition in amsterdam but with little success. today the red light district is a garish area with prostitutes touting business from show windows, sex shops, and sleezy nightclubs. still this is a interesting place to visit. perfectly safe during the day with crowds of tourists roaming the streets, however use caution after dark and avoid the poorly lit alleys that bisect the area,

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Address: oude zijde area
Directions: oude zijde, central amsterdam, near central station. tram: 4.9.14.16. 24. 25.