Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Description

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
The Rijksmuseum (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɛiksmyˌzeːjʏm]; English: National Museum) is a Dutch national museum dedicated to arts and history in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw.
The Rijksmuseum was founded in The Hague in 1800 and moved to Amsterdam in 1808, where it was first located in the Royal Palace and later in the Trippenhuis.The current main building was designed by Pierre Cuypers and first opened its doors in 1885.On 13 April 2013, after a ten-year renovation which cost € 375 million, the main building was reopened by Queen Beatrix.In 2013 and 2014, it was the most visited museum in the Netherlands with record numbers of 2.2 million and 2.47 million visitors.It is also the largest art museum in the country.






Oude Kerk in Amsterdam

A big and monumental church – De Oude Kerk (The Old Church) dominates over the Red Light District. Although originally built as a Catholic place of worship, today the Oude Kerk is one of the unique buildings expressing the national character of Dutch Protestantism. Through its exceptional architecture, high windows full of light, beautifully sculpted misericords in the choir, impressive old granite gravestones on its floor, as well as through its unique history omnipresent in the building, the Oude Kerk symbolizes the tradition and the present-day of Amsterdam.
Standing in the church’s main entry, you will be amazed to see the coffee shop just left to it, windows with sex workers in front and the Princess Juliana Nursery School left right the church (at no.8 on the Oudekerksplein). Contrast could not be bigger and the Oude Kerk, the oldest and for centuries the most important church in Amsterdam, although now having lost this name to the Nieuwe Kerk, remains one of unique sights to visit.

Begijnhof in Amsterdam
The Begijnhof is an enclosed courtyard dating from the early 14th century. Nothing survived of the earliest dwellings, but the Begijnhof, which is cut off from Amsterdam’s traffic noise, still retains a sanctified atmosphere. The Begijnhof was originally built as a sactuary for the Begijntjes, a Catholic sisterhood who lived like nuns, although they took no monastic vows.
The beautiful houses overlook its well-kept green garden, include the Amsterdam’s oldest surviving house Het Houten Huis dating from around 1420. On the adjoining walls, there is a fascinating collection of wall plaques with biblical theme. Southern fringe of the square is dominated by the Engelse Kerk (English Church) which dates from the 15 century and possesses its original medieval tower.






Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam
Founded in 1838, the Artis Royal Zoo is still as enchanting as it was nearly two centuries ago. Not only is the Amsterdam zoological garden an oasis of peace right at the heart of a fast-paced city, but it is also a haven for some 700 animal species and 200 tree varieties, many on the verge of extinction. Amsterdam Artis is also one of the fewest zoos in Europe to have so many listed buildings within its grounds, namely the Large Museum (1855), the unique Library building (1867) and the Aquarium (1882).

Hortus Botanicus, botanical garden in Amsterdam
Amsterdam has one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world called Hortus Botanicus. It was established in 1638 by the city municipality as Hortus Medicus, an herb garden with medical plants for Amsterdam doctors and pharmacists. The reasons for establishing a specialized medical garden were very serious: at that time the cities of Leiden and Utrecht experienced the plague epidemic (1634-1637) with thousands of victims. Additionally, several monasteries moved out of the quickly growing city and there was not enough space in Amsterdam to plant herbs.

Micropia in Amsterdam

Micropia is a museum in Amsterdam based on the idea of distributing information about microbes, which are often associated with illness and disease despite their essential function in the daily functioning of human life.The museum opened on 30 September 2014.It claims to be the first of its kind.The two main focuses for Micropia are: establishing a positive view of microbes and “becoming also an international platform for microbiology that brings diverse interest groups together in order to bridge the gap between science and the general public”.One of the basic premises for the museum is to encourage a more positive relationship between microbes and the general public because they believe that this will encourage more study and research into “micro-nature.”






Zoological Museum in Amsterdam
The Zoological Museum of Amsterdam is part of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Amsterdam.
The Museum curates more than 13 million animal specimens with special strengths in the South East Asian and South American/ Caribbean fauna, as well as in the marine fauna. The museum’s mission is to maintain and develop its collections and to manage these as a facility for scientific research and public education.

Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum maintains the world’s largest collection of the works of the world’s most popular artist – Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), his paintings, drawings and letters, completed with the art of his contemporaries. Each year, 1.6 million visitors come to the Van Gogh Museum, making it one of the 25 most popular museums in the world. In 2015, the museum added the new glass entrance hall at the back of its building.

Visit the official website for complete details,Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands www.amsterdam.info/