For
a relatively small city, Amsterdam is home to a delightful
abundance of world-class museums. Amsterdam's
museums contain an astonishing number of the worlds' greatest works of art, attracting over 4 million of visitors every year. Some countries in Europe don't get that many visitors, and our museums can be credited for drawing many of them to our city.
For children there is the fascinating museum NEMO, A hands-on, science and technology museum housed in an Avant-garde, boat-shaped building (appropriately located at the harbor).
For many museum and arts lovers, ..for tourists wishing to stay in Amsterdam longer, or even those planning on visiting museums in other Dutch cities The Museum Cardis an ideal solution. In addition to all the well known and not so well known museums, there are a large number of art galleries in Amsterdam to start or add to your own great collection.
A very friendly, small museum about tulips. The flower which is the symbol of the Netherlands, The Amsterdam Tulip Museum is located just across the canal from the Anne Frank House. You may see there interesting multimedia presentations about the history of tulip, its cultivation and the 17th century speculation with tulip bulbs, the so called tulip mania. In the museum shop you may buy bulbs of rare tulips and many other decorative flowers.
The tulip has been introduced in the Netherlands in the middle of 16th century from the Ottoman Empire. Until today, this flower remains the Dutch favorite, one of the symbols of the country. A small private museum just across the bridge from the Anne Frank House, shows the history of the Dutch fascination with the tulip and sells in its shop various bulbs of the most beautiful existing flowers.
At the end of the 16th century a new flower, the tulip arrived to the Netherlands and immediately became very popular among the upper classes. It is difficult to establish the exact date of the first cultivations of tulips in the Netherlands, but it is generally admitted that around 1550 the bulbs reached the country on ships arriving form Constantinople (modern name Istanbul) probably via Antwerpen. The first documented flowering of tulips was in 1594, in the Hortus Botanicus (Botanical garden) of the University of Leiden. The bulbs were brought to the university garden from Vienna by Carolus Clusius, previously responsible for the Imperial Garden in Vienna. At that time Austria had the disputed borders with the Ottoman Empire and as well as the rest of Central Europe, has been under the Turkish cultural influence, expressing itself among others in the oriental fashion and the new habit of drinking coffee.
The vast riches that poured into Holland in the 17th century helped establish centers of learning, like the university of Leiden setting the stage for the formal study of horticulture. The simultaneous arrival of the tulip also set the stage for deep passion and deep envy.
As the Netherlands went through a period of unprecedented economic boom in the first half of the 17th century, competition among growers started, who will have the most beautiful tulip. People were ready to pay extraordinary sums of money for a single bulb. It seemed that if they would have carefully cultivated their tulips they could have never lost, getting more and of precious bulbs, while the prices rose constantly. Slowly the intense speculation started and batches of some rare bulbs had a higher price than a house and were growing in value. In 1635, a set of 40 bulbs has been sold for 100,000 florins while a medium yearly income in the Netherlands at the time was 150 florins.
In 1636, stock exchanges were established to trade in bulbs and their future options. Despite the different attempts by the authorities to limit the craze, the trade grew and people were selling land, houses and valuable objects to invest in tulip bulbs. The most famous bulbs as Viceroy or Semper Augustus were priced at thousands of florins. The Dutch called this phenomena themselves ironically a windhandel (trading in wind). Indeed, in 1637 the market crashed, leaving some traders enriched, but most of the public with just some pretty flowers.
Today, the tulip mania, tulipomania or tulip madness is used as a term for any economically absurd group craze where speculation borders with senseless gambling. The Dutch, although a bit ashamed of their own past behavior, still love tulips for good reason..
Address: Prinsengracht 112 1015 EA Amsterdam Netherlands
Tropenmuseum "Musium
of The Tropics" Tropical Museum Amsterdam
One of the most intriguing of Amsterdam's museums belongs to the Royal Institute for the Tropics, a foundation devoted to the study of the cultures of tropical areas around the world.
Located out of the city centre in a magnificent old building in East Amsterdam (Amsterdam Oost), Tropenmuseum often remains undiscovered by many if not most tourists. However, if you are interested in other cultures, other countries and distant lands do no miss it. Tropenmuseum's exhibits are modern, fascinating and on many levels enlightening as well as inspiring. I have often worked there preparing the concert venue for shows and first brought my grandsons there when they were young. This proved to be an inspiring practice propelling them into professions to help save or failing planet. So without any hype or hesitation we wholeheartedly recommend this great museum to visit with your kids.
History
Tropenmuseum was originally established in 1864 in Haarlem, Netherlands as the "Colonial Museum" and then later in 1910 was moved to Amsterdam. After 1949, when the Dutch colony of Indonesia (the former Dutch East Indies) became independent, the Museum became part of the "Tropical Institute" in Amsterdam, its continuing mission was researching the life and customs in distant countries, not necessarily exclusive to primitive cultures but simply different, than Western culture.
Exhibit A visit to the Tropenmuseum starts on the second floor which accessible with an elevator. The exhibitions are divided into continents starting with South America... through Africa on to Asia and culminating in the Antilles on the first floor. Additionally, on the ground floor, there is an exhibition on Man & our Environment and to the left of the entry is "Tropenmuseum Junior", a special part of the museum dedicated to children, and aimed at mainly Dutch schoolchildren, less at the young international guests as most information is in Dutch.
The Museum is divided into many smaller exhibits, each of them unique and modern in its presentation with the use of multimedia, light, sound, even smell and presenting beautiful decors. The true value of the Tropenmuseum is its vast collection. The exhibited objects have unique historical and esthetical value. Each of the exhibits is like an escorted journey through a mysterious, exotic and enlightening land. Go and be inspired. You will be thankful for the experience.
There a a number of great eating and shopping venues around the Tropenmuseum so have a look around this area and explore the East of our great city. The best way to do this is by bike so get one and pedal explore Amsterdam's hidden charms.
Open:
Every day from 10 am till 5 pm
On 5, 24 31 December from 10 am till 3 pm
Closed: January 1st, April 30th, May 5th and December 25th
Tropenmuseum is wheelchair friendly for the challenged brave among us.
Admission:
Adults and minors from age of 17 years - € 7,50; children and minors younger than 17 – € 4,-, Family day ticket € 20,- , Older people 65+ and students (ID required) € 6,-.
Audio tour in Dutch, English, French and German is free of charge; € 5,- reimbursable deposit for the headphones. The museum shop is selling interesting objects from other lands, as beautiful original African masks. The shop is accessible only with the entry ticket.
How to get there:
Walking: from the Waterlooplein along the Plantage Middenlaan (10 minutes)
By public transport: (In Amsterdam always the best way to get most anywhere)
Trams lines 9, 14 from the Central Station (exit on the stop Alexanderplein); tram 10 (stop Alexanderplein); bus 22 (stop Eerste van de Swindenstraat).
By car:
Drive away from the city centre along Plantage Middenlaan from the Waterlooplein; You will pass Artis Zoo (on your left) and cross two bridges (close to each other) over canals. The Tropenmuseum (The Concert hall venue side) will be just in front of you. Park in one of the streets nearby if you can find a spot (metered parking).
Driving from the outer ring road , take an exit S113 and drive direction towards the city centre. After about 2 miles (3 km) after going under a train overpass you come to a roundabout, you will see the red brick museum building on your left in front of you.
A shop with erotica souvenirs three floors up an exhibit, actually a bit of a rip off compared to the sex Museum This is really about promoting the Casso Rosso Live Sex Show and Red LightDistrict than it is about eroticism.
As it is in hart of the red-light district, this museum does reflect the history of the area to some degree even to its pretenses.
We paid the € 5 entrance fee to see for ourselves what was on offer.
Upstairs we found a sample **** room of a Red Light District prostitute with the wax figure of the working girl inside and a wax(ish) model of the cashier of the Casa Rosso Live Show Theater. A fair collection of the old erotic photographs, and an interesting series of John Lennon’s lithographs. A small collection of erotic art is disappointing in volume, scope and nature.
They sell condoms in a staggering variety (I am confused at the Pharmacy let alone this place)
How to get there:
Walk (5 minutes) from the Dam square or the Central Station into the heart of the Red Light District.
Oude Zijds Achterburgwal is the main canal street of the area.
Address:
Erotic Museum Amsterdam
O.Z. Achterburgwal 54
1012 DP Amsterdam
The Pianola Museum is located in the Jordaan, a 17th century quarter of Amsterdam, west of the old town centre a short walk distance from the Anne Frank Museum. It is one of the smallest museums in the city.
The museum has a collection of automatic pianos and related objects. There are nearly 20.000 music rolls in the museum archive. Nearly all of them can be played on the different instruments in the museum. The museum has 15 original instruments and 20 000 paper music rolls.
There are over 20.000 music rolls in the museum archive. Nearly all of them can be played on the different instruments in the museum.
In 1896, Theodore P. Brown introduced and marketed the "Aeriol Piano", which was the first substantially complete player piano. That same year Wilcox and White introduced their "Angelus" cabinet player which was a modification of their earlier grand and upright player pianos. None of the early player pianos was a success though John McTammany (self-proclaimed 'inventor of the player') credited Brown as the first to organize in a practical manner the ideas others had developed over the previous 20 years.
Through the middle 1890s, Edwin S. Votey developed his piano playing device, the Pianola. This was offered to the Aeolian Company to sell alongside their range of reed organs. It was launched in 1897, and very aggressively marketed over the following years. It was the advertising organized by Harry Tremaine and the Wilcox and White Company that established the market for piano playing devices. Without Tremaine's business acumen there probably would never have been a player piano industry.
In these early years the main demand was for cabinet players and it was some years before the public preferred to buy an entirely new self-contained instrument and trade in their old perfectly good regular pianos. As market demand changed the "internal player" came back into view and was developed again, this time in earnest.
Open:
ONLY ON Sunday 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. and every other day by appointment only. Concerts on a pianola with a short spoken introduction on other days; check the museum website for the schedule.
Admission:
€5; Children: € 3; People aged +65: € 4.
How to get there:
The Pianola Museum is located in a short walking distance from the Anne Frank House
By tram: (10 minutes). 3, 10 (stop Marnixbad).
Westerstraat being the widest street in the Jordaan, offers some parking possibilities (paid parking, directly on the street).
In 1687, for the occasion of his marriage to the much younger Sara Hinlopen, the wealthy and influential merchant Albert Geelvinck built a magnificent canal mansion.
The Geelvinck family, Albert Geelvinck and Sara Hinlopen, were subsequently active in the East India and West India trading companies, and in1687, built this house as a family home suitable for entertaining business guests.
Since then the house has been a mystery. There is still a large vault in one of the souterrain rooms. Four rooms on the ground floor have now been restored, and are open to the public on Sundays.
Enter the museum from the old coach house at Keizersgracht 633, and pass through its delightful garden to reach the house. Cascades of pink roses surround the pond in summer, in autumn it is glowing with color.
Of the four rooms one is a library with deep leather chairs and a wonderfully decorated ceiling was revealed when the house was renovated and has been restored to its 19th century glory. Two others, the Red and Blue rooms were the drawing and dining room respectively, and have period paintings and furniture sourced from other houses.
The most interesting room is the richly decorated Chinese room. It was probably a room for Sara Hinlopen to receive lady guests for tea. In that time coffee was seen as too stimulating for the ladies, and was only taken by gentlemen in coffee houses around town. Looking at the painted chintz walls and Chinese porcelain you can imagine the rustle of gowns and the gentle flow of gossip over a cup of tea served in fine china
A guided tour will give you
an impression of the life inside
Open:
Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 11 - 5
Museum rooms are offered for special events. Professional catering available.
A visit to the Tropenmuseum starts on the second floor which accessible with an elevator. The exhibitions are divided into continents starting with South America... through Africa on to Asia and culminating in the Antilles on the first floor. Additionally, on the ground floor, there is an exhibition on Man & our Environment and to the left of the entry is "Tropenmuseum Junior", a special part of the museum dedicated to children, and aimed at mainly Dutch schoolchildren, less at the young international guests as most information is in Dutch. 
Of the four rooms one is a library with deep leather chairs and a wonderfully decorated ceiling was revealed when the house was renovated and has been restored to its 19th century glory. Two others, the Red and Blue rooms were the drawing and dining room respectively, and have period paintings and furniture sourced from other houses. 
