Rijksmuseum (State Museum). Amsterdam and its museums

The largest city in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Amsterdam has no shortage of museums. Their collections are extremely interesting and even unique. Well, where else in the world will you see a sex museum? And in Amsterdam it is. And besides this, a less shocking one is available to the eyes of visitors. The Dutch have very open views in this regard. In this country, prostitutes even have their own trade union. However, this article will talk about quite decent things. We will take a virtual excursion to the State Museum. Amsterdam acquired it at the very beginning of the nineteenth century. This is truly an ancient museum with a rich collection. Below you will find some practical recommendations for visitors and a short list of masterpieces.

Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Holland): history

The Rijksmuseum was founded by Louis Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother) in 1800. It did not remain in the private collection for long. Fifteen years later, its exhibition became open to the public. Initially, the Rijksmuseum was located in the capital of the kingdom, The Hague. The core of the exhibition consisted of two hundred paintings, and occupied a small house. But with the help of patrons, the collection grew steadily. The museum changed its location several times until it finally settled in Amsterdam. In 1885, a new building was built especially for it. Outwardly, it looks more like a fairy-tale princess castle than a museum. The project of the building in the neo-Gothic style was created by the famous Dutch architect Pieter Kuipers.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam: address, opening hours, prices

The Rijksmuseum is located in the very center of the city. Its exact address is the corner of Museumstraat and Museumplein. From the main train station it can be easily reached by tram line 2 or 5. Get off at the Hobbemastraat stop. If you arrive in Amsterdam at Sloterdijk station, then from there you can take tram number 12 (Concerthebouw) to the cultural institution. The closest metro station to the museum is Weissperplein. Next you need to get there by tram number 7 or 10 ("Spichelchracht"). You can also get to Museum Square by bus routes 26, 66, 65, 172 and 170. Shuttle number 197 from (stop "Hobbemastraat") also passes by. If you are traveling to Amsterdam with your own or rented vehicle, you need to take the S109 from the A10 ring road. Below the square there is paid underground parking for those visiting the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam). The opening hours of this cultural institution are from nine to seventeen, daily. Persons under eighteen years of age inclusive can visit the museum absolutely free. Adults will have to fork out seventeen and a half euros.

Modern amenities at the Rijksmuseum

All exhibition halls are available to people. Tickets can be purchased online on the official website. This will not save money, but it will save time standing in long queues, which are a mandatory attribute of the Rijksmuseum, especially in the summer months. At the ticket office you can book excursions on various topics. If you do not speak foreign dialects, you can download a media tour for your mobile device. Audio guides can also be rented at the ticket office. They are available in Russian. These are thematic tours “Masterpieces”, “Drinks and Food of the Golden Age” and “Selected Works of Jeroen Krabbe”. You can join a group excursion to the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam). Photo and video shooting is permitted. The main condition is no flash.

Exhibition diagram of the Rijksmuseum

For ten years, from 2003 to 2013, the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) was closed for reconstruction. Now the updated exhibition consists of several collections. Its core is the “Masterpieces” exhibition. It contains the best paintings by Dutch masters of the Golden Age - Van Dyck, Jan Veermeer, Jan Stein. The art collection presents an interesting selection of decorative arts, including Delft porcelain. A special place is occupied by a pavilion dedicated to Asia. In it you can see bronze Buddha figurines, wooden boxes from Korea and similar artifacts. The historical collection displays objects found during the course. In addition, there are permanent exhibitions of photographs, prints and drawings.

Masterpieces of the Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) is the largest art gallery in the country. Five thousand paintings, 30,000 sculptural compositions, and many historical artifacts are displayed in two hundred and sixty halls. Therefore, if you are short on time, take the Masterpieces audio tour and head to the hall called Nacht wacht zaal. This room was created in 1906 specifically for this painting. The epic painting “The Night Watch” by Rembrandt is a pearl of which the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) is rightly proud. Paintings by other Dutch masters from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century occupy the rooms next door. Must-sees include four paintings by Vermeer, Van Eyck's "Gothic Temple with Figures" and Luke of Leiden's "Sermon in the Church."

Arts and Crafts Wing

Porcelain from the small Dutch town of Delft is another pride of the State Museum. The exhibition includes not only tableware and stove tiles. Of particular interest are two with a full set of furniture and interior items. Boys will be delighted by the weapons exhibition.

This museum is often compared to the Louvre, it is constantly being rebuilt, the most amazing collection of Dutch painters of the Golden Age is collected here, and only here you can see the legendary painting “The Night Watch” by Rembrandt. This is the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The history of the museum began in 1800, it was then that the financier Alexander Khorel came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a museum similar to the Louvre in Amsterdam. A gallery was created in The Hague, which included paintings and rarities belonging to the Habsburg dynasty. When Louis, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, became king of the Netherlands, he categorically declared that the national museum would be located in Amsterdam. The collection was initially placed in the king's palace and added valuable exhibits belonging to the royal dynasty.

The collection expanded and in 1863 there was talk of the need for a separate building for the museum. The best architects propose their projects, but for almost six years a picky commission cannot give preference to one or another option. Finally, in 1876, Petrus Kuipers won the competition. The architect adhered to progressive views, he was distinguished by the desire to create a new direction in architecture; Kuypers was obsessed with the idea of ​​a new national style. As a result, he builds a magnificent building that combines several architectural styles.

Gothic, elements of the Renaissance, Renaissance... The interior decoration was carried out by the best craftsmen. The walls of the museum are decorated with tiles, painted in the style of classical Dutch art, and stained glass windows depict scenes from history. In general, the museum building fully met the tastes of Catholics. King William, who at that time occupied the Dutch throne, took the new building more than coolly. And since its opening, since 1885, the building of the state museum has not known peace. Changes to its structure were made regularly.

Five years after the opening, an extension was made to the museum building. The fragments of ancient buildings were collected and a whole section was made from them. According to the architects, the building was supposed to show all stages of the development of Dutch architecture. In 1906, a special hall appeared in the Rijksmuseum. This is the Phillips Wing or the One Picture Hall. The central place is occupied by Rembrandt's Night Watch. Beginning in 1942, the interior was changed several times; the building itself was no longer disturbed.

In the 21st century, the museum underwent a large-scale restoration, the ceilings between the courtyards were removed, and the interior was carefully restored. There is no such collection of Golden Age painters in any museum in the country. Holland, ruled by Protestants in the 17th century, was the personification of morality and Puritanism. The country prospered, the inhabitants grew rich. The main motifs in fine art: family, hardworking townspeople, pastoral pictures of rural life, scenes from the Old Testament.

Real masterpieces known throughout the world are “The Maid Pouring Milk” by Vermeer, “The Jewish Bride” by Rembrandt, “Bridge in Amsterdam” by Breitner. The museum’s foreign collections are also rich. There are artists of the Russian avant-garde school, Italian, Spanish and French painters. In the State Museum of Amsterdam there is “Portrait of Ramon Satué” by Goya, “Cimon and Pero” by Rubens, “Madonna and Child” by Murillo. The pride of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is the sculpture and applied art departments.

The museum contains the original of Falconet's famous statue "The Menacing Cupid". Almost five thousand exhibits, including jewelry, fabrics, weapons, furniture, Meissen porcelain. The museum has halls where the everyday furnishings of the Middle Ages have been completely restored. Petronella Oortman's dollhouse is known throughout the world, where the mansion of a wealthy Dutch family is reproduced in miniature and in the smallest detail. The exhibition even includes a real warship captured by filibusters.

Today the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is the largest in the Netherlands. His collections are priceless.

Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - exhibitions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.

• Tours for May to the Netherlands
• Last minute tours Worldwide

Previous photo Next photo

Every morning, residents of the historical center of Amsterdam see a huge queue of people wanting to get into the Rijksmuseum, the state art museum of the Netherlands. In the list of the hundred most visited museums in the world, it is in 19th place (for comparison: the Hermitage is in 13th).

The King of Holland, Louis Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon I, took part in the creation of the museum.

The museum's collection moved to different rooms until the current building was erected in the neo-Gothic style in 1885. Since then it has been rebuilt many times, for example to display Rembrandt's large-scale painting The Night Watch in 1906. The latest renovation was completed in 2013, and the Rijksmuseum is now so vast that it would be impossible to see all its treasures in one day.

The museum's exhibition is a chronicle of the history of the Netherlands from 1100 to the present day in a wide variety of art objects, from fine porcelain utensils, plaster busts, antique furniture and ending with the works of famous artists.

The basis of the museum's art collection consists of paintings by Dutch artists - Rembrandt, Hals, Steen, Vermeer, but there are also works by other painters - El Greco, Van Dyck, Veronese, Goya, Rubens, Tintoretto. The museum's most famous exhibits are displayed in three small rooms. Tourists from all over the world flock to the gallery of fame on the second floor to see Rembrandt's famous Night Watch. The painting belongs to the city of Amsterdam and is in temporary storage at the Rijksmuseum. By the way, its real name sounds less romantic - “Performance of the rifle company of Captain France Banning Cock.” The collection of Rembrandt's paintings is quite large - 20 works - and is second only to the Hermitage (26).

You can ride a bike through the museum along a designed bike path.

Don't miss the exhibition of dollhouses, the oldest of which was made in 1676. In this miniature town, it’s hard not to feel like a bumbling Gulliver. Interesting collections of Delft and Meissen, Chinese porcelain, a collection of ship models, exhibits from Asian countries.

The museum is known primarily as the repository of Rembrandt's painting "The Night Watch", which officially belongs to the city, and for which the museum building was even rebuilt. In addition, of course, the museum is interesting for its architecture.

The museum was founded in 1808 by King Louis Bonaparte of Holland, brother of Napoleon I. The museum was initially located in The Hague, then moved to Amsterdam. The museum exhibited exhibitions in the Royal Palace, Trippenhuis Palace, and other buildings.

The museum received its own building only at the end of the 19th century. The new building was built in 1877 - 1885 under the direction of architect Pieter Kuipers (1827 - 1921). As art historians note, the museum building is a unique creation of Dutch architecture, because it combines external beauty and the practical purpose of the premises.

The museum was opened to the public in 1885. In 1890, another building was added to the museum building, built from fragments of demolished historical houses. In 1906, one of the museum’s halls was specially rebuilt to house the painting “The Night Watch” by Rembrandt.

Further reconstruction of the museum took place in the 20th century: the interior decoration was changed, and the courtyards of the museum were built in. At the beginning of the 21st century, the museum was again reconstructed, after which it began to operate at full capacity and receive numerous visitors.

The most famous paintings of the Amsterdam State Museum

The most famous painting exhibited here is considered "The night Watch" Rembrandt (1642). It is also the largest painting on display, although it was partially trimmed in the 18th century. All the characters depicted are very symbolic, and still contain many mysteries. Exhibition hall "Nacht wacht zaal".

The second most popular among visitors is the Vermeer. It is difficult to assess which of his 4 remaining paintings attracts more viewers: “ Thrush", "Love Letter", "Little Street", "Girl Reading a Letter"" They, as well as sketches for these creations, can be seen in the Eregalerij hall.

One of the first exhibits of the museum was the creation of Jan van Eyck "Gothic temple with figures" Now, going to the “Gothic” wing, you can admire this rarity.

Several works by Luke of Leiden, a famous Dutch artist of the early 16th century, are exhibited in the halls. In particular, his brushes belong to"Sermon in Church".

Goya's paintings, for example, "Portrait of Don Ramon de Posado" can be seen in room 1.13. Recent X-ray studies have revealed another master's creation under a layer of paint.

Original statue "Sitting Cupid"(1757), also known as “L"Amour Menaçant” - “The Threatening Cupid” by Falconet is exhibited in the Reichmuseum in room 1.9.

Of course, the State Museum is not a museum of eroticism or a museum of sex. But here, too, there is an exhibition “Immoral Women” that is similar in theme. This includes the picture "Lot and His Daughters"(Hendrik Goltzius, 1616). You can see the plot of the biblical legend in hall 2.1.

The museum also displays images of Asian gods, for example buddha figurine sitting in a niche. This composition was carved from a single piece of black limestone over 1000 years ago. The creation of an unknown author can be appreciated in the Asia hall.

Quite modern jewelry in the Art Nouveau style also found its place in the halls. For example, "Comb in the shape of two dragonflies"(1904) is located in room 0.9 – Z8.04.