Now that I have my museumkaart it is my goal to go to at least one museum in Amsterdam each time I visit the city. Last Saturday I took the train in to meet up with a fellow au pair for a sleep over and night out in the city. We weren't set to meet until 5:45 in front of Nieuwe Kerk so I went to the Amsterdam History Museum to kill some time.
I figured it would be a nice way to spend an hour or so. As I might have mentioned before, I know very little about the history of the Netherlands. The extent of my knowledge is limited to famous figures such as Vermeer, Van Gogh, and Anne Frank. After my day in Delft last weekend my historical perspective has improved and my curiosity has increased.
Well, I greatly miscalculated the size of this museum and the amount of time it would require. I stayed for two hours and I didn't get to everything. About halfway through, or what I thought was halfway, I stopped keeping track of what floor I was on or which direction I was going. I absorbed all the information up until about the eighteenth century, took some notes on specific things I found interesting, and then decided it was better that I see everything instead of taking the time to read everything. So, I made it all the way through to the 2000's and took only forty-six, mostly mediocre photos. Obviously I'll have to go back and reserve more time. The upcoming exhibit is about the fashion sense of Dutch men. I can't miss that.
It has taken me a few days to actually sit down and start this entry. I am really at a loss on where to begin in addressing the history of Amsterdam. So, I think I shall save that topic for another post. Perhaps when I visit the museum again. I do, however, have two brief lists of potential veins of inquiry that I intend to tackle for myself but you're more than welcome to take a trip over to Wikipedia on your own as well.
People of interest: Dirck Jacobsz Bas, Princess Marianne, Adriaan van der Hoop, Christian Pieter van Eeghen, Sophia Lopez Suasso-de Bruijn, and Frederik Ruysch.
Topics of interest: city orphanages, the Paalhuis, 19th century art collectors in Amsterdam, and paintings of anatomical studies/procedures.
I really liked the Historical Museum...especially the interactive screen room that goes through photos like a video.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right about that museumkaart...what a value!!!
I forget...how long are you in Holland?