Are you passing through the Dutch capital? Don't miss the visit of the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam!
With her romantic channels , its sulphurous Red Quarter, its gabled houses and its exceptional artistic heritage, Amsterdam necessarily attracts attention. Netherlands Venice Don't miss charm. In love, with family or friends, it offers its visitors exciting and sometimes unusual discoveries, experiences and activities. Coffee shop, world famous museums, monuments of exceptional beauty or cycling or barge ride, you will not miss things to see and do in Amsterdam.
Among them, do not miss one of the hidden treasures of the city: the Tropenmuseum or the Tropical Museum. Located close to the city centre, in an old building very well preserved in East Amsterdam, the Tropenmuseum is not always mentioned on the itineraries of travel agencies and other guides. Yet, almost two hundred thousand people visit him every year! If you like to discover distant cultures or if you are simply curious, this museum is for you. Fascinating and inspiring, it would be a shame to pass next to this great museum, ideal for both family and friends.
Are you convinced? Here's all you need to know to visit the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.
History Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam
Photo credit: Shutterstock / Amsterdamo
The Tropenmuseum was born in Haarlem in 1864. Consacré à l’anthropologie et l’ethnologie, il porte le nom de Musée Colonial. In 1910 he was moved to the capital of the Netherlands, which was then a great colonial power, before being attached to the Tropical Institute of Amsterdam in 1949.
At its beginnings, the Institute is conducting research on the different lifestyles of countries, including tropical. Without focusing on primitive cultures, the main objective is to focus on the distinct cultures of European cultures to give a good part to traditions.
Today, the Tropenmuseum is recognized as the National Museum of World Culture in Amsterdam.
What to see and what to do at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam?
Photo credit: Shutterstock / DutchMen
The building and the exhibition hall
Like the Amsterdam Central Station or the Rijksmuseum , the Tropical Museum is located in a building of the early 19th century, with a triumphant Gothic style. This is actually the former headquarters of the Institute of the Netherlands Colonies.
You will undoubtedly enjoy the richly decorated façade. The Museum is located in one of the wings of this building, beautifully renovated. The central part of the building was built as a large open gallery, which allows to view the different floors, arranged like mezzanines, on which other collections are located. This provision leads to a feeling of transparency and very pleasant space for the visitor. A surprising place for a museum, to visit absolutely!
Third-world countries
This anthropology and ethnology museum offers you to go back to the different cultures present in the former Dutch and European colonies. Far from the clichés of this dark period of history, you will witness presentations, rich, modern and open.
You will start your discovery by the second floor of the museum, by the exhibitions devoted to South America, and then head to Africa and Asia. On the first floor, the exhibitions concerning the Antilles are located. On the ground floor, you can walk through an exhibition dedicated to man and the environment. The issues of the development of third world countries and recent discoveries of ethnology are addressed through the various parts proposed by the Tropical Museum.
The reconstructions
The permanent exhibition is exciting. You will discover villages entirely restored and integrated into their cultural context. You will discover the rites and traditions of distant or extinct civilizations from an original angle. The museum devotes a wide space to the early African and Asian arts and of course to the Dutch presence in Indonesia. The difficult relationship between settlers and indigenous peoples is unabated. The former Dutch colonies are obviously honoured: Surinam, Indonesia or Papua are very widely presented.
Picture gallery
Photographs, slideshow sessions and many sound documents are available throughout the visit. The visit is made interactive thanks to the use of many multimedia accessories. The museum currently contains about one hundred and seventy-five thousand objects and nearly eighty thousand photographs.
Ad hoc exhibitions take place in the large central hall where there is also a gallery of photographs. Each month, the Museum showcases selected objects and presents them in an original way. You will learn more about their history and route before they arrive at the museum.
A section of the museum, more educational, called the Junior Tropenmuseum, is also intended for children.
At each of your discoveries, you will be propelled into an unknown exotic territory. An exciting museum, too often forgotten, wrongly tourists!
How to go to the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam?
From France
The city of Amsterdam is very easily accessible because very well served. If you want to fly, many companies offer flights to the Dutch capital at very affordable prices. Before booking, compare prices on Ulysses : depending on your stay dates, the comparison will select the best rates.
If the plane does not tempt you, you can hire the train, bus or car to reach Amsterdam.
Once in Amsterdam
The Tropical Museum is located in Linnaeusstraat 2, 1092 CK Amsterdam.
On foot
Count ten minutes from Waterlooplein along the Middenlaan Plantage.
In Tramway
- Lines 9 or 14 from the Central Station: stop Alexanderplein
- Line 10 stop Alexanderplein
By bus
Bus 22 : stop Eerste van de Swindenstraat
By car
- Get out of the city centre along the Waterlooplein Middenlaan Plantage. On your left, pass Artis and cross two bridges on the canals of the capital. The Tropical Museum of Amsterdam is in front of you.
- If you come from the Amsterdam device, take the exit S113, then the direction of downtown. Drive three kilometers to a roundabout. The tropical museum is on your left.
Note : Paid parking spaces are located near the museum.
Schedules and fares of the Tropenmuseum
Photo credit: Shutterstock / Christophe Cappelli
HORARI
- From Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- The museum is also open Monday during school holidays Dutch
RATES
- Adult 16 euros
- Child 4 to 18 8 euros
- Child under 4 : free
- Student : 10 euros
Note : The ticket allows you to access permanent and temporary exhibitions.
BON A LEARN
1. The museum is accessible to people reduced mobility.
2. Tickets can be purchased online and submitted electronically. You will avoid the queue at the museum entrance. Think about it!
3. The ticket purchased on the Internet is valid only for the day and time selected.
4. Des audio-guide visits in Dutch, English, French and German are available at an additional cost.
5. For the Tropenmuseum Junior, it is necessary to book his visit in advance.
If you had the chance to visit the Tropical Museum of Amsterdam, let us share your impressions in comment.
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