Immerse yourself in the maritime history of the Netherlands, and put yourself in the skin of a 17th century Dutch browser!
No, you will not catch the scorbut by visiting the National Maritime Museum Amsterdam ! We know the Netherlands to be a polder, territory whose level is predominantly lower than that of the sea. What we know little is how Holland once became one of the largest European powers.
The National Maritime Museum of Amsterdam, presentation and context
Open to the public since 1973, renovated in depth between 2007 and 2011, the Maritime Museum is housed in a huge building built in 1656, which until 1973 was used to equip the warships of the Dutch Republic. It is an artificial island built outside the city centre of Amstellodam, in the port district.
Photo credit: Flickr – Pete Edgeler
The National Maritime Museum allows to explore 500 years of Dutch history.
At the end of the 16th century, the discoveries followed each other and the Dutch browsers discovered that trade enabled the country to be enriched considerably. A wave of unprecedented progress overwhelmed the Netherlands and touched on all areas: trade, culture, science, literature, painting – which ignored the famous Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) ? -, sculpture, music... This is the Golden Century .
Thus, Holland was the world's first commercial power in the 1580-1600s.
The Dutch navigators dominate the world of the 17th century by sea, and establish more and more counters and extra-maritime commercial roads.
Photo credit: Flickr – Canadian Pacific
But the Dutch hegemony is faced with two other proto-industrial powers, which do not intend to let Holland dominate the European chess: France and England, which are also already great colonial empires.
The atlas in the National Maritime Museum will seize you on the evolution of the knowledge of cartography at the time of great explorations.
By visiting the National Maritime Museum, you will also know why the city of Amsterdam is sprinkled with countless canals that snake the city centre.
The visit of the National Maritime Museum of Amsterdam
The visit of the museum takes place in two stages: on the one hand, on the outside, where the public can admire the replicas of the Dutch flag warships, found at the bottom of the seas, then inside, where the visitors cross three floors of Amsterdam history, discovering tools, maps, boat models and some 60,000 marine documents.
The outside visit
Three replicas of ships moored at the docks of the port allow to imagine in what conditions the Dutch explorers lived at the time:
- The Amsterdam sailboat (coated in 1749), which appears as the most popular attraction in Amsterdam,
- The replica of a galion of the Dutch company of the eastern indes (coated off England in 1762),
- The replica of the royal boat (used from 1818 to 1962)
You will be able to board replicas and see the narrowness of the confined places, and optimized to allow all soldiers to live the time of ocean crossings. For example, in Amsterdam, 350 soldiers were buried there!
You will then be able to add browser boots and take advantage of the exhibition “Remonter au temps de l’Âge d’Or” to relive navigation as if it were today. We truly revitalize the daily life of explorers and warriors of the time!
Photo credit: Flickr – Matthew Kenwrick
The visit inside the military building
After seeing these maritime war buildings, enter the historic building of the Dutch arsenal dating back to 1656.
About thirty pieces spread over three floors allow you to have access to a huge amount of authentic 17th century works and documents.
These are classified in chronological order from the 17th century to the present day, it is one of the most important marine collections in the world.
The first floor gives access to the first hours of Dutch navigation: models of ships, maps, atlas, mappemondes, nautical maps, compass and compas, books, medals, prow figures, paintings, etc.
The visit continues on the last floors or the museum traces Dutch maritime history since the 19th century.
In all and for everything, the interactive tour – equipped with an audio-guide – takes one hour.
Good to know.
To take full advantage of the visit and not waste time, take a cut-file ticket and book your ticket online. After receiving the ticket by e-mail, print it or show it at the ticket counters.
Here is an indicative guide to entry rates:
- Adults : 15 €,
- Children (7-15 years old): 7,50 €,
- Children (less than 7 years old): free.
You can visit the National Maritime Museum of Amsterdam every day from 9am to 5pm.
How do I access it? Nothing simpler!
National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam Kattenburgerplein 1 1018 KK – Amsterdam.
- Walking: from the central station on foot along the bay Prins Hendrikkade. The replica of the old Far East sailboat is on the left. 15 minutes walk from the train station to the museum,
- By public transport: from the central station, take the bus line 22 direction Indische Buurt, and line 48 direction Bornéo Eiland, station in front of the church St. Nicolaas, to the left of the station. Exit after two stops in Kadijksplein,
- By car: from the A10 device take the S116 output. Cross the Ij tunnel, turn right and turn back to the museum.
In case of cancellation, the ticket will be refundable in full until 24 hours before the visit!
Main photo credit: Flickr – Jacob Surland
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