t External exhibition at the Foam Museum
t External exhibition at the Foam Museum
Three elegant 17th-century canal houses on the Keizersgracht have been joined together and beautifully renovated to create this labyrinth of modern rooms filled with photographs. Over 20,000 visitors flock here annually, making it the most-visited photography museum in the Netherlands by far.
Foam (Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam) is dedicated to exhibiting and celebrating every form of photography, from historical to journalistic, cutting-edge to artistic. The museum has an international outlook – photographs exhibited here are taken all over the world by photographers from a variety of cultures and ethnic backgrounds.
The museum holds four major exhibitions a year and 15 smaller ones, showcasing both established figures of the art form and emerging local talent. Exhibitions at Foam have included Annie Leibovitz’s “American Music”, a retrospective on Henri Cartier-Bresson and “50 Years of World Press Photo”.
More than just a museum, though, Foam prides itself on being an interactive centre for photography, a place where amateurs can learn more about the art by meeting professionals, attending lectures and taking part in discussion evenings, or just stop for a coffee and a browse of the well-stocked bookshop. Foam also hosts pop-up exhibitions in different neighbourhoods to make photography accessible to all.
Experience Eastern Canal Ring
|
eat Café de Punt Come here for sandwiches made with local cheeses and ham. G9 ⌂ Tweede Jacob van Campenstraat 150 ∑ cafe-depunt.nl ¡¡¡ Restaurant de Waaghals This organic vegetarian restaurant serves imaginative dishes. E9 ⌂ Franshalsstraat 29 ¢ L ∑ waaghals.nl ¡¡¡ Vlaardingse Haringhandel Locals rate the creamy raw herring served here in a bun, with pickles and onions. E9 ⌂ Albert Cuypstraat 89 ¢ Sun & D ¡¡¡ |
Designed by Daniel Stalpaert in 1668, the squat and wooden Amstelkerk was originally built as a temporary structure, while in the meantime money was going to be raised for a large new church that would be located on the Botermarkt (now Rembrandtplein). Unfortunately, the necessary funds for the grand scheme were never forthcoming, and so the temporary Amstelkerk had to be kept and maintained.
In 1825, the Protestant church authorities attempted to raise money to at least renovate the Amstelkerk’s plain interior in a Neo-Gothic style. It was not until 1840, however, when Frederica Elisabeth Cramer donated 25,000 guilders to the project, that work could begin.
During the late 1980s, the Amstelkerk underwent a substantial conversion, which cost some 4 million guilders. Glass-walled offices were installed inside the building and it was closed to the public. However, concerts are still held in the nave, which was preserved in all its Neo-Gothic magnificence. The top-class brasserie NeL is housed in a side building.
t Colourful canal houses look over the Blauwbrug
The Blauwbrug (Blue Bridge) is thought to have taken its name from the colour of the wooden bridge that originally crossed this particular stretch of the Amstel river in the 17th century. Made of stone, the present bridge was built in preparation for the World Colonial Exhibition, which attracted thousands of visitors to Amsterdam in 1883.
The Blauwbrug is decorated with sculptures of medieval boats, fish and the imperial crown of Amsterdam and is surmounted by ornate lamps. The design was inspired by the plans for the elaborate Alexander III bridge in Paris.
The market running along Albert Cuypstraat began trading in 1904, shortly after the expansion of the city. The wide street, once a canal, is named after the Dutch landscape painter Albert Cuyp (1620–91). It is located in the Pijp district, which was originally built for workers.
This wide street is lined with colour-popping stalls. Described by the stallholders as “the best-known market in Europe”, it attracts some 20,000 visitors on weekdays and often twice as many on Saturdays. Vendors sell everything you would expect from a Dutch market – fresh fish, poultry, cheese, fruit, vegetables and clothes – but the real reason to head to Albert Cuypstraat is for its mouthwatering street food. The sound of frying fills the air and your nose will be assaulted by the scents of dishes from around the globe.
t Row upon row of floating stalls at the Bloemenmarkt
On the Singel, west of Muntplein, is the last of the city’s floating markets. In the past, nurserymen sailed up the Amstel from their smallholdings and moored here to sell cut flowers and plants directly from their boats.
Today, the stalls are still floating but are now a permanent fixture. Despite the sellers’ tendency to cater purely for tourists, with prices reflecting this, the displays of fragrant seasonal flowers and bright spring bedding plants are always beautiful to look at.
Tulip mania seized Amsterdam in the 1630s. The exotic, Asian bulbs tempted investors and their value soared. At the height of the craze, a single rare bulb could cost more than 10,000 guilders – as much as a grand canalside townhouse. Tempted by the chance to get rich quick, even ordinary folk invested their savings in the flowers, only to lose them when the bubble inevitably burst and prices collapsed in 1637.
Designed by Adriaan Dortsman, No 672 Keizersgracht is one of a pair of symmetrical houses built in 1672. The first resident was the painter Ferdinand Bol, a pupil of Rembrandt. In 1884, the Van Loon family moved into the house. The Van Loons were one of Amsterdam’s foremost families in the 17th century. In 1602, Willem van Loon co-founded the Dutch East India Company.
The house was opened as a museum in 1973, after many years of restoration, retaining the original charming character of the house. It contains a collection of Van Loon family portraits, stretching back to the early 1600s. The period rooms are adorned with fine pieces of furniture, porcelain and sculpture. Some of the upstairs rooms contain sumptuous illusionistic wall paintings, popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Four were painted by the Classicist artist Gérard de Lairesse (1641–1711). Outside, in the formal rose garden, is the 18th-century coach house, housing the Van Loon family coaches and livery worn by the servants.
t Beer wagon displayed at the Heineken Experience
Gerard Adriaan Heineken founded the Heineken company in 1864 when he bought the 16th-century Hooiberg (haystack) brewery on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. The original Stadhouderskade building was erected in 1867. His readiness to adapt to new methods and bring in foreign brewers established him as a major force in Amsterdam’s profitable beer industry. In 1988, the company finally stopped producing beer in its massive brick brewery on Stadhouderskade, as it was unable to keep up with the demand. Production is now concentrated in two breweries, one in Zoeterwoude, near Den Haag, another in Den Bosch. Today, Heineken produces around half of the beer sold in Amsterdam, has production facilities in dozens of countries and exports all over the world.
The Stadhouderskade building now houses the Heineken Experience, where visitors can learn about the history of the company and beer-making in general, and enjoy a free tasting. Extensive renovations accommodate the increasing number of visitors. There is also a tasting bar, mini brewery and a stable offering the opportunity to view Heineken’s splendid dray horses – you may be lucky enough to see them trotting around Amsterdam. Visitors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Experience Eastern Canal Ring
|
stay Hotel Dwars This hotel’s nine characterful, cosy rooms are decorated with modern and vintage furniture. It’s great value for money. G7 ⌂ Utrechtsedwarsstraat 79 ∑ hoteldwars.com ¡¡¡ Hotel V Frederiksplein A choice of hotel rooms and self-catering loft apartments are offered at this extremely hip hotel. G8 ⌂ Weteringschans 136 # hotelvfrederiksplein.nl ¡¡¡ |
t The ornate faÇade of the Pathé Tuschinski
Abraham Tuschinski’s cinema and variety theatre caused a sensation when it opened in 1921. Until then, Amsterdam’s cinemas had been sombre places, but this building was an exotic blend of Art Deco and Amsterdam School architecture. Its twin towers are 26 m (85 ft) in height. Built in a slum area known as the Duivelshoek (Devil’s Corner), the theatre was designed by Heyman Louis de Jong and decorated by Chris Bartels, Jaap Gidding and Pieter den Besten. In its heyday, Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland performed here.
Now converted into a six-screen cinema, the building has been meticulously restored, both inside and out. The carpet in the entrance hall, replaced in 1984, is an exact copy of the original. For just a few extra euros, you can take a seat in one of the exotic boxes that make up the back row of the huge semicircular, 1,472-seater main auditorium.
Insider tip
A guided tour of the theatre is certainly recommended, but the best way to appreciate the full opulence of the Pathé Tuschinski is to go to see a film.
The Stadsarchief, which houses the city’s municipal archives, has moved from its former location in Amsteldijk to this monumental building. Designed by K P C de Bazel, who was one of the principal representatives of the Amsterdam School, the edifice was completed in 1926 for the Netherlands Trading Company. In spite of multiple renovation works, the build-ing retains many attractive original features, such as the colourful floor mosaics (designed by de Bazel himself) and the wooden panelling in the boardrooms on the second floor. There is a permanent display of treasures from the archives in the building’s monumental vaults.
In 1991 the building, which is affectionately known as “The Bazel”, was declared a national monument. Guided tours take place at 2pm on weekends.
t Magere Brug is illuminated at night by strings of lights
Of Amsterdam’s 1,200 or so bridges, the Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge) is undoubtedly the city’s best known. The original drawbridge was constructed in about 1670. The traditional story has it that it was named after two sisters called Mager, who lived on either side of the Amstel. However, it appears more likely that the bridge acquired the name from its narrow (mager) design. At night many lights illuminate the bridge.
The drawbridge was widened in 1871 and most recently renovated in 2010, though it still conforms to the traditional double-leaf style. The bridge is made from African azobe wood, and was intended to last for at least 50 years. In 1929, the city council considered whether to demolish the old frame, which had rotted. After huge outcry, it was decided to keep the original.
Since 2003 traffic has been limited to bicycles and pedestrians. Several times a day, the bridge master lets boats through the Magere Brug, then jumps on his bicycle and opens up the Nieuwe Herengracht bridge.
Experience Eastern Canal Ring
t The Magere Brug when open for boats
The Magere Brug is a double-leaf style drawbridge. This means that it continuously balances its span of 5m (16 ft) on each side throughout its swing. The balance is made up of two counterweighted beams. The arched wooden portal provides a pivot for the balance and a mechanical chain drive operates the steel cables that cause the bridge to lift up.