My regular readers, especially following the news on Facebook’e, have probably already noticed my love for. Someone to any incomprehensible situation goes to bed, and I go to the beach :) Although, of course, in Holland the sea is not only a beach, but also an important part of the history and life of the country. And to find out more about this, we went to the National Maritime Museum - aka the Museum of Shipping - in Amsterdam!
Many people who trust the old guidebooks are still convinced that the Museum of Shipping is closed for renovation. In fact, it reopened back in 2011 - and it stands so beautiful, waiting for visitors :)
No need to wait for us - we are already there! Here in such a huge courtyard of a monumental building, which, as for me, is a great attraction in itself. The museum building was built in 1656 - and long years here was the warehouse of the Dutch navy.
Now under one roof of the museum there are 11 exhibitions that tell about different aspects and periods of the "maritime history" of Holland - from whaling to modern life amsterdam sea harbor. Yes, and the roof itself is huge, glass - there, by the way, wow! :)
By the way, here is a fascinating story about the building and the roof of the museum from the certified guide Katie Bartels: “ The museum building is a former military warehouse and arsenal of the Amsterdam Admiralty, built in the middle of the 17th century. The main warehouse in Amsterdam is built on the water and consists of four buildings connected in a square shape. The courtyard is the central hall of the museum and was completely open and had no roof before reconstruction.
Two years ago, a transparent glass ceiling was built over the hall. The main task of the architects was to build a roof without additional supports in the middle of the hall. The roof was supposed to be airy and not disturb the space, allowing visitors to see the sky while indoors. The task was successfully completed!
Glass triangular sheets were placed on steel longitudinal arcs, thrown over different directions between buildings, symbolizing lines drawn on cartographic projections. The entire structure consists of 6,000 steel arcs connecting 1,200 glass triangles and weighs 200,000 kilograms, which is equivalent to the weight of 50 elephants.».
Well, let's see! First of all, we went to the exhibition of ship decorations. Many of them are real works of art, full-fledged sculptures, thought out and honed to the smallest detail. Like these ones.
And even those :)
There are ship models in a separate room. Before heading to the museum, I read reviews on TripAdvisor and saw several comments that it was “sad to see the halls empty”. Well I do not know. The huge halls downstairs and on the floors of the building are really empty - but it would be strange if the exhibits were right in the corridors and on the stairwells.
And in the halls with expositions, as you can see, everything is arranged quite densely. Each ship model has its own number and only short description... If you want to know more, you need to move the multimedia screen towards the ship ( he "drives" along the glass wall) - and read already on it, what's what.
And here is the equipment that helped the ancient ships find their way.
The Maritime Museum has a large collection of atlases. Interesting fact - getting into the room with atlases, you find yourself in the twilight. The light is barely burning here. This is how old atlases are protected from fading in the museum. But next to each exhibit there is a button: you press - a light comes on, illuminating the pages.
Want to flip through the atlas? With the original, this is, of course, difficult to organize - but on the other hand, you can walk up to the huge screen and examine the scans of the pages on it. If you especially like something, you can immediately send these pages to yourself by e-mail. For example, I decided to keep for myself an old map of Haarlem. A couple of minutes - and here it is, mine forever :)
One of the expositions of the museum is devoted to modern trade and the work of the port. You can find out which goods from which countries are delivered to Holland (for example, Brazilian coffee, and just below - the wonders of China's industry :). Here you can also watch films about the work of the port, customs and other Dutch maritime services today.
And you can also ... go into the "container", feel like a load and see with your own eyes the entire logistic path from landing at the airport to putting it on a store shelf! The number of different interactive pieces in the museum is very impressive!
In several halls of the museum there is a large collection of paintings on marine themes. Of course, I was not very successful in photographing this picture, but I want to show you something. Here is a picture hanging on the wall.
And next to it there is a large screen with a touchscreen. And you can click on some elements of the picture (there are circles, see?) - and find out more about its plot. By the way, this is quite a popular piece in the museums of Holland. Yes, they bring interactive here even to painting with a long history!
Tsar Peter also lit up here.
The collection of paintings itself includes both old and modern works.
There are also special exhibitions and areas for children in the museum. Adults are also allowed! :) For example, you can go into the mouth of a whale (and then on a separate stand see what is found in its stomach, brrr). Or you can listen to the marine stories that the actors tell for children (they are broadcast through a projector directly on the walls, in Dutch with English subtitles).
By the way, the children's part of the museum was the most crowded - there guides or teachers led several groups at once, telling about the great naval battles, and about the Dutch East India Company, and how Holland “reclaims” its lands from the sea.
Do you remember the ship in the first photo near the museum building? It also houses a part of the exposition, but unfortunately we could not get there - because of the weather (I had never seen such a wind in my life!) The ship was closed.
But the Stalpaert restaurant worked! :) Very nice, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows. There I found this unusual tea - each bag is packed in an envelope styled like a real one. Inside each is a letter. People with a soul know how to make even such a trifle as a tea bag!
And in the museum store, we found these Mingface postcards with animals in the background of Amsterdam sights. Very positive, right? :)
If you wish, you can walk around the Museum of Shipping, probably at least all day, and there will be something to see and try. Well, it's time for us to leave (but not end our walk for today!). We go down to the wardrobe.
And there is interactive in this museum even here! At the entrance to the museum you will be given a ticket in the form of a paper bracelet (like in a disco :)) with a barcode. You need to scan it on the device that turns red at the end of the building - and the display will show the number of the locker where you can leave your things (small bags and outerwear). Very comfortably!
Museum opening hours: every day from 09.00 to 17.00.
The address: Kattenburgerplein 1, Amsterdam (15 minutes walk from Central Station)
Ticket prices: 16 euros (buy a ticket online \u003e\u003e). Free admission.
What to combine a visit to the museum with?
The Shipping Museum is located in the Oosterdok area, which is also often called the maritime district. By the way, it was there in last years there is an official countdown in - fireworks soaring over the ships look very impressive.
However, even without fireworks, Oosterdok is impressive and literally does not let you let go of the camera (the photo was taken from the window of the central library of Amsterdam).
On the way from the central station to the Maritime Museum, you will see the NEMO Museum - you might be interested in looking there, especially if you come to Amsterdam with children.
It is simply impossible to pass by boats and ships moored here. The details can be viewed endlessly.
It is likely that as you pass by, the ship's owner will be dining on deck or fixing something. Real life and no tourist attractions! :)
By the way, if you wish, you can settle in some of these boats. For example, there are AmicitiA Botel, Taste Amsterdam Botel, Intersail Christina Hostel - so if you are tired of regular hotels, you can rent such a colorful accommodation, spend the night in your cabin and drink tea or wine on the deck, enjoying the view of Amsterdam. In my opinion, a great "sea" adventure :)
The view of the city from the water side is mesmerizing! Do you see the building behind the bridge? There is the central library of Amsterdam.
And I will not tire of repeating: the library, and especially the cafe there on the 7th floor with a terrace, is just an unforgettable place! A cup of coffee, a breath of fresh air and a bird's eye view of the city - what could be more beautiful? (By the way, here you can find a walk, including the library).
The entrance to the library is free and free. Take a look!
And I have everything for today :) Stay in touch!
Nowadays, few people know that Amsterdam was once the largest port in the world, and Holland had the largest merchant fleet. And it is not surprising that it was in Amsterdam that the second largest maritime museum appeared. It was officially opened on April 13, 1973 by Princess Beatrix and is housed in a building that itself is one of the museum's exhibits.
This monumental building was built in 1656 as an admiralty warehouse and arsenal according to the design of Daniel Stahlpert - a famous architect of the time, whose name is immortalized in many architectural monuments of Amsterdam. In 2007, the museum was closed for a major reconstruction, during which the courtyard of the former arsenal was closed with an openwork structure made of glass and metal, the adjacent piers were removed, and all exhibits were systematized and placed in thematic expositions in 11 large halls. The renovated museum was opened in 2011.
It now houses exhibits that tell about 500 years of history, from the golden age and whaling, to the modern life of the Amsterdam sea harbor. The most interesting is the exposition dedicated to the "Golden Age". The great discoveries of that time are witnessed by the luxurious sailing ship moored nearby, "Amsterdam", which once belonged to the East India Company. The vessel did not return from its maiden voyage in 1749, and in 1985-1990. an exact copy was created for the museum. Now those who wish can climb aboard and examine in detail all its equipment and interior.
Among the exhibits of the museum is an extensive collection of paintings dedicated to the great naval battles, portraits of Dutch sailors, as well as a unique collection of nautical charts of the 17th century cartographic geniuses Willem and Jan Blau. Among the remarkable exhibits there is a copy of the book "On the Moluccas" about Magellan's first round the world voyage, the work of Maximilian Transylvanus, published in 1523. The rich collection of globes, navigational instruments and treatises on navigation is also very interesting.
The pride of the museum is the largest collection of rowing and sailing boats, however, the area of \u200b\u200bthe museum is such that small life-size ships are also exhibited here. In addition, a very rich collection of various ship models is exhibited here, telling about the history of shipbuilding from ancient to modern times. For those who have little interest in ancient shipbuilding, there is an exposition dedicated to modern cruise yachts and transoceanic liners.
You can even play in the museum interactive gameby making virtual travel into the world of pirates and sea battles, and battle trophies ... "Battle trophies" can be purchased, as usual, in a souvenir shop or in a restaurant located on the territory National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.
The Museum of Shipping in Amsterdam has an interesting collection that tells about the glorious maritime traditions of Holland. A visit will give a lot of new impressions for both adults and children.
Address: Kattenburgerplein 1
Admission ticket for an adult is 15 euros, children under 4 years old are free, children from 5 to 17 years old, as well as students - 7.50 euros.
The audio guide in eleven languages, including Russian, is provided free of charge.
The museum is located fifteen minutes walk from the Amsterdam Central station. If for some reason you cannot or do not want to walk, then you can take bus number 22 or number 48 and get off at the Kattenburgerplein stop located opposite the museum.
You can also get to it on a pleasure boat. Before boarding the boat, check which route it is following, because not all boats go through the museum.
After successfully last exhibition in 1913, at which about three hundred thousand items from personal collections from all over the world were presented, the organizers seriously thought about opening a permanent exhibition. In 1916, the museum opened its doors to visitors and was located on De Laurisseraat Street for a long time, but in 1973 the museum moved to another building, Het Zeemagazijn (naval warehouse), where it is located to this day. Undoubtedly, this decision benefited the museum and now it stands by the water next to the port of Amsterdam.
The exposition is regularly updated, one of its most popular exhibits is a replica of the eighteenth century merchant ship owned by the VOC company. Dutch merchants sailed on such ships to Central and South Asia, as well as India, China and Japan.
The tour of the museum begins from the courtyard covered with a large glass dome. There is a shop and a restaurant, as well as an entrance to the dressing room. From the courtyard, you set off on a journey through the interesting and fascinating world of seafarers. Here you can see a large number of miniature sailing ship models, bow figures, as well as gold jewelry, which were actively used in South Asia.
The collection of navigation devices will tell you and your child a lot of interesting things - how they walked the sea using the stars and not only, will introduce you to the ship's book and much more.
Once in the adjacent hall, you will find yourself in a spacious cabin, where you can sit down in any of the chairs you like and learn the history of one of the sailors.
The Golden Age Hall will tell you how the poor Netherlands, after being liberated from the Spaniards, quickly became rich and became one of the most powerful powers. Numerous interactive stands will tell you about the Dutch trade relations with other countries, how the Netherlands became a center of world trade and, of course, will tell you about the slave trade. The slave trade was an important link in the development of the country's economy and the development of the colonies. In the hall dedicated to the slave trade, one can learn about the terrible conditions in which slaves were transported and kept, about their protests and liberation.
The Harbor 24/7 Hall introduces you to the continuous operation of the Port of Amsterdam. Today it is the fourth largest port in Europe in terms of capacity, serving all kinds of ships. There are about sixty-five thousand people working here, ensuring smooth operation. Also in this hall you can find out what goods come to the port.
In the hall visual arts collected various canvases affecting the theme of shipping. The main pride of the exposition is the painting "The Battle of Gibraltar" painted by Cornelis Claes van Wieringen. The film tells about a surprise attack by the Dutch on Spanish ships, as a result of which the Spanish fleet suffered significant losses and was forced to flee.
In the east wing of the building, in the Glass, Silver and Porcelain room, you can admire an exquisite collection of tableware. Each piece of this collection is a piece of art with a unique painting of that time.
Undoubtedly, children over six years old will find it interesting to visit the Het Verhaal van walvis hall with a huge whale model in the middle of the hall.
Here you can see the world the way a whale sees it, visit inside it, or climb onto the bridge of the ship and feel like a whale hunter. Back in the 16th century, people considered whales to be sea monsters and attributed various tales to them. However, after the Dutch navigator William Barentz went to explore the Arctic Ocean and studied the habits of whales, people ceased to be afraid of them. Instead, a hunt began on them, which very quickly led to their destruction. In the 19th century, the Netherlands stopped whaling and this ban continued until 1945. After World War II, hunting was resumed and continued until 1964. Today, whales are under threat of extinction and the world nature conservation is making every effort to preserve and increase their number.
A copy of the VOC ship will be of interest to both adults and children. Getting on board, each guest moves into the past.
Here you can visit the captain's cabin, find out how his days went during the voyage, look at his bedroom, study and toilet. You can also go down into the hold of the ship, where ordinary sailors slept, where they transported slaves and numerous goods. All exhibits are not only allowed, but also needed to be touched. Otherwise, you will never know what was transported in all these barrels and boxes located here, you won’t know what it’s like to lie in a hammock, and much more.
Parents with children will have to be patient, because it will be very difficult to take their child away from here, however, the child will have many memories and impressions from going to this museum.
Ulyana Volokovykh
Museum of the Tropics in Amsterdam (Amsterdam, Netherlands) - expositions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.
- Tours for May to the Netherlands
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The Museum of the Tropics is a very unusual name for one of the largest and most interesting anthropological museums in Europe! It confused more than one tourist - there are no bright butterflies, colorful parrots or outlandish plants. The thing is that back in 1871 the Museum of the Tropics was still located in Haarlem, was called the Colonial Museum and was dedicated to the culture and life of the peoples conquered by the Dutch. It will be renamed in accordance with the spirit of the times and will be transferred to Amsterdam only in 1926. At the same time, ethnologists will be interested in it, and over time it will become a real Mecca for lovers of this science.
Over the century, the collection of the museum has considerably expanded - now a careful examination of 9 vast halls will require at least 5-6 hours. And these are only permanent exhibitions dedicated to South Asia, the former colonies of Holland and African countries, but in addition to them, temporary ones are also held - they are no less interesting and exciting.
The best way to appreciate another culture is to immerse yourself in it, and the museum provides this opportunity in abundance.
There are almost half a million permanent exhibits alone, and their number is steadily growing. Through the efforts of ethnologists, the museum has enough rare collections: for example, diorama workshops of African artists with difficult-to-pronounce names or bizarre corvaras - figurines from the Caribbean islands. The latter, except in the Museum of the Tropics, are almost nowhere left. Particular attention should be paid to the expositions of India, Africa and Latin America - they not only have a diversified collection of exhibits, but also have a few highlights. For example, in the African hall there is real theater, and in Latin American - the working bar Teatro Los Heroes.
By the way, if you want to capture exhibits, theatrical performances or yourself - in the Museum of the Tropics you can take pictures with an amateur camera and even with a flash.
Inspection of sculptures and reconstructions will tire even the most sophisticated admirer of ethnology, especially when you consider how many stairs there are in the museum. Well, you can relax - go to the World of Music hall and, sitting in a comfortable armchair, join the musical traditions of different ethnic groups or prefer a table in the comfortable and relatively inexpensive restaurant of the Café De Tropen museum. By the way, it was designed by one of the most famous architectural designers in the Netherlands - Pete Boone. At the same time, adults will be able to take a break from their own offspring: the museum has a children's entertainment area and professional animators.
Practical information
Museum address: Amsterdam, Linnaeusstraat, 2. Website.
Parking is a problem, so the best way to get there by public transport: trams No. 14, 10 (stop Alexanderplein) or No. 9 (stop 1e Van Swindenstraa).
The Museum of the Tropics is open all week except Monday and is open from 10:00 to 17:00, Christmas, New Year and Easter is the weekend.
The ticket prices are reasonable - for children under 18: 8 EUR, and if you are older, you will have to pay 16 EUR. Groups of 10 or more people get a 10% discount. Audio tour of the exhibitions (no Russian language) and / or museum guide must be purchased separately. The prices on the page are for December 2019.
At the word museum, many people associate with something inanimate, smelling of naphthalene. This is not the case in Holland, and the Maritime Museum is a very striking example of this (although the Nemo Museum is probably even more striking proof). Due to its "interactivity", each room is able to immerse a person as much as possible with the atmosphere of the place and time about which he is talking.
The Maritime Museum (het scheepvaartmuseum) belongs to the picturesque Plantage area and is very easy to reach from the main train station in Amsterdam Centraal. And if you go from the station, the road will lead, on the one hand, along the wide Prins Hendrikkade with intense road traffic and along the bright embankment, on the other side.
The museum has a courtyard covered with a glass dome, which you can freely enter without a ticket. The exposition halls are located on the cardinal points - Noord, Oost, West, and each has its own theme, in the Zuid part there is an exit. The entrance ticket for an adult costs 15 euros, and of course you can use it to get off and on in all parts.
I arrived at the museum quite late at about three, so I managed to get around only Noord and Oost. The northern part (Noord) provides an insight into the glorious past of the Dutch navy and the scale and geographical reach of the modern Dutch maritime industry, as well as the day-to-day operation of the port of Amsterdam, which is the fourth largest in Europe. For clarity, large flasks are filled with various goods (coal, bananas, oranges, cocoa beans, electronics), shipped from all countries. On the flask with electronics, of course, the inscription China.
Cocoa beans from Ghana The next hall tells about the hard life of slaves who were transported by ships from Africa to Europe, and old books with records - how many slaves were transported on the ship and for what they were sold. Often they sold not even for money, but, for example, for shells.
In each hall, the soundtrack, and, as it seemed to me, it was here that it was strongest: human voices replacing each other, the dialogue of the ship's crew members and the loud exclamations of the captain. There are screens on the wall where a guy and a girl, depicting slaves, talk about their suffering (like in Tarantino's Django). If this room is designed more for children, then I can assume that a fragile child's psyche may have a guilt complex. In general, apparently the Dutch have this feature, take at least a huge museum of the Tropics and a statue of slaves in front of it.
You can get to another floor by elevator, but it's more interesting to walk up the stairs. From the Noord part there is also an exit to the pier, where there is a huge replica of the ship of the famous Dutch East India Company, but we will go there later.
To the other part of the museum - Oost - you can go through the courtyard. There is a hall with models of yachts, old globes, china and silverware, navigational instruments and paintings. Models of yachts are under glass, on which a moving screen is fixed. Any visitor can independently move it, pointing to any of the yachts. At the same time, information appears on the screen where and when the yacht was made and where it sailed. However, there are only two languages: Dutch and English.
There's a cool device in the old globes room. When you rotate the globe on the counter, you set in motion the interactive globe on the wall. And if you rotate it along the axis, then you switch the globe to several more ancient options, thereby going deep into the history of cartography.
A room with decorative details of ships follows, where a screen with an image of a sea wave passes through the entire wall, descending to the floor. When you stand on it, there really is a feeling that the wave will now cover. Along with this, you can hear the water splashing, the gulls screaming and the massive wooden deck of the ship creaks quietly.
In the hall of ancient dishes, you can hear the clatter of spoons on porcelain utensils. Along the walls along the circumference are hung the same light, unremarkable lockers. But if you open any door, you can see a statuette or one of the tableware, which is immediately highlighted. Several French people, grown men and women, were so carried away that they ran like children, opening all the lockers in a row. Most of all I liked the halls with navigation devices, where you are completely immersed in the starry night, and compasses and astrolabes sparkle like treasures.
If you are tired, then in a room with photographs of travelers of the past and the century before last, you can relax in an easy chair, where an audio guide in English and Dutch is built into the headboard.
When I got to the paintings, the museum was already closing (17:00), so I had to inspect them pretty quickly.
However, I still managed to get on the ship at the pier. They really weren't allowed on the deck, but I and another funny Italian family managed to climb in the holds: we pressed different buttons, looked into the boxes :) In general, I recommend to visit!
