Amsterdam's Maritime Museum

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Europe, Netherlands, TransportationAmsterdam owes its wealth to the sea. In the Golden Age of the 16th and 17th centuries, the Dutch sailed around the world looking for rare products to bring back to Europe. They were one of the great maritime powers and are still important in shipping today.

Amsterdam is a city made for the sea. Its canals are laid out like a spider's web, where every family that could afford it built a narrow house on one of the canals, complete with a private warehouse and crane on the upper floor. This maximization of seafront property allowed a large section of society to share in the nation's wealth.

To really understand Amsterdam and The Netherlands, you need to visit the National Maritime Museum, called Het Scheepvaartmuseum in Dutch. This museum, reopened earlier this year after a major remodel, offers a history of Holland's maritime adventures from the past 500 years.

Just a short walk from Amsterdam's Centraal Station, the museum is housed in a large 17th century arsenal. Inside are modern interactive displays explaining how early mariners found their way by the stars, how ships were built, and where and for what they traded.

One of my favorite displays is a set of reproductions of sailors' photo albums from the past century. You sit in an easy chair flipping through the pages while listening to an audio commentary explaining the photos. It was like sitting with some old Jack Tar as he spun tales of the sea. There's also a large collection of ship's ornaments, nautical equipment, and an art gallery of maritime paintings.


Gallery: Marine Museum, AmsterdamContinue reading Amsterdam's Maritime MuseumAmsterdam's Maritime Museum originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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