Sue and I visited this museum during our recent cruise to Amsterdam. It is located in the Kattenburgplein district of Amsterdam, which is about 1.5km/1 mile from the centre of the city. It is housed over three floors of a 17th-century building* that has a central courtyard.
The central courtyard has been covered by a glass roof ...
… and all the main sections of the museum are accessible from it.
The museum is organised into three main sections, North, East, and West, and during our visit we were able to spend time in each.
We began in the north, which gave access to the three outdoor exhibits, the replica East Indiaman Amsterdam, the steam vessel Christiaan Brunings, and the Royal Barge/De Konigssloep.
The Amsterdam
This replica was built in 1985 and has been moored at the museum since 1991. The original Amsterdam was built in 1748 for the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) and set sail for Asia from Texel in 1749. Unfortunately, she sank off Hastings during a ferocious storm in January of that year and at low tide her remains are visible and have been the subject of archaeological studies since 1984.
The Christiaan Brunings
The Christiaan Brunings was built in 1900 for the Dutch Board of Works and was used to make inspections, to perform maintenance, and to act as an icebreaker on the main rivers of the provinces of Holland and Zeeland.
The vessel is named after Christiaan Brunings (3rd November 1736 to 16th May 1805) who was a famous hydraulics engineer who became Inspector General of the Government Rivers in 1769
The Royal Barge/De Konigssloep
Housed in a specially built facility, the Royal Barge/De Konigssloep was built for King William I of the Netherlands between 1816 and 1818. It was intended to be used on state occasions and was last used during the celebrations of the Silver Wedding Anniversary of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard in 1962. It has been part of the museum’s collection since 1983 and underwent considerable restoration before being put on display in 2015.
We then made our way to the east where we visited galleries devoted to Maps & Marvels, …
… models of Yachts and Small Vessels, …
… The Solebay Tapestries (which commemorate the famous Dutch victory over the Royal Navy), …
… Ship Decorations, …
… Navigational Instruments, …
… and an exhibition of photographs of the Amsterdam harbour and the area around the museum that were taken by a local photographer, Cor Jaring.
A huge statue named Kaatje is on display between the 1st and 2nd floors of the east side of the museum. It originally adorned the entrance to the Dutch Nautical College, which was founded in 1785 and closed in 2000. The statue then became part of the National Maritime Museum’s collection.
On the ground floor of the eastern part of the museum was a temporary exhibition that was my favourite of everything that we saw. It was about the toy ships that were built during the Second World War by workers whose pre-war jobs in kitchen and pencil production had ceased to exist and who would otherwise have been conscripted as forced labour in Germany due to their unemployment.
The exhibition was entitled Bruynzeel Havenspeelgoed …
… and the background to the exhibition was explained in a short video by one of the museum’s conservators, Isaäc Vogelsang.
All the toys were modelled after real ships that could be seen in and around Amsterdam during the pre-war period.
Although they are toys that were robustly constructed to withstand the rigours of play by small children, they are amazingly detailed and very accurate.
By the time we had seen all of the above, both Sue and I were feeling rather tired, and as we were unable to buy anything to eat or drink at the museum due to its cashless sales system (you have to pay for everything using a credit or debit card), we reluctantly had to make our way back to our ship for lunch. As a result, we missed out on some of the exhibits in the western side of the museum … but this does give us an excuse to go there again!
* The building was constructed in 1656 as a naval magazine and storehouse ('s Lands Zeemagazijn or Admiraliteits Magazijn). It was designed by the Dutch architect Daniël Stalpaert and became the home of the museum in 1973.
There are some lovely models there. I wonder if anyone was brave enough to sail the rebuilt Amsterdam?
ReplyDeleteCash does seem to be getting rather obsolete. Before your next cruise you may want to get some of those pre-loaded cash cards that aren't connected to bank or credit accounts.
Ross Mac,
DeleteThe replica was built close to where our cruise ship docked so I doubt that she ever moved under sail.
The stupid thing is that both Sue and I had credit and debit cards in our safe aboard Ventura but had not taken them ashore as we had ben warned about an upsurge of recent pickpocket activity. I did try to pay using the PayPal and banking apps on my iPhone, but the museum did not take PayPal payments or recognise my UK bank account, even though it links to MasterCard.
All the best,
Bob
The toys remind me of an aircraft carrier my father built for me when I was a little boy. The museum did a better job painting their models than I did with my crayons.
DeleteAs for cashless options, I have installed PayPal, Zelle, Google Pay and Venmo to cover those times when cash is in short supply. Are Zelle and Venmo viable options over yonder?
Mr. Pavone,
DeleteI’d love to have seen your father’s model aircraft carrier model … even if it had been coloured with crayons!
As far as I can find out, Venmo isn’t available in the UK and Zelle requires a US phone number. You can book tickets for the museum in advance using a credit card (but not American Express) or pay using chip and pin at the entrance desk.
All the best,
Bob
A fine museum for sure and like you, I loved those toy models, which to me are just perfect for your rules:). Cash does seem a thing of the past. I only use my debit card, not having Google pay etc set up on my phone, which seems to make me old fashioned these days!
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteI’d certainly recommend this museum to anyone who is going to Amsterdam and who has an interest in anything nautical.
I was so impressed with the model ships that I hope to feature them in a forthcoming blog post.
The world certainly does seem to becoming more and more cashless. In fact, since the pandemic I’ve tended to use my credit card and contactless payment for most of my purchases and to pay off the balance each month.
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
ReplyDeleteThose Toy Ships and Boats and Harbor Scenes are very nice- excellent little model Toys....Thanks for Posting. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteI must admit that having seen these models, my first thought was to copy the idea ... and then to think about building a dockyard as my next model railway layout!
All the best,
Bob