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Rembrandt
Born in Leiden to a family of millers, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669) picked up his first important artistic tips as an apprentice to Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam in the early 1620s. It was here that Rembrandt developed a penchant for mythological and religious subjects, vividly light and rendered with a smooth and glossy finish. After his apprenticeship, in around 1625, Rembrandt returned to Leiden to establish himself as an independent master painter and, this achieved, he returned to Amsterdam some six years later, where he stayed for the rest of his life. In the early 1630s, Rembrandt concentrated on portrait painting, churning out dozens of pictures of the burghers of his day, a profitable business that made him both well-to-do and well known. In 1634 he married Saskia van Uylenburch and five years later the couple moved into a smart house on Jodenbreestraat, now the Rembrandthuis museum. Things seemed set fair, and certainly Rembrandt’s portraits of his wife are tender and loving, but these years were marred by the death of all but one of his children in infancy, the sole survivor being the much-loved Titus (1641–1668).
In 1642, Rembrandt produced what has become his most celebrated painting, The Night Watch, but thereafter his career went into decline, essentially because he forsook portraiture to focus on increasingly sombre and introspective religious works. Traditionally, Rembrandt’s change of artistic direction has been tied in with the death of Saskia in 1642, but although it is certainly true that Rembrandt was grief-stricken, he was also facing increased competition from a new batch of portrait artists, primarily Ferdinand Bol and Govert Flinck. Whatever the reason, there were few customers for Rembrandt’s religious works and he made matters worse by refusing to adjust his spending. The crunch came in 1656, when he was formally declared insolvent, and four years later he was obliged to sell his house and goods, moving to much humbler premises in the Jordaan. By this time, he had a new cohabitee, Hendrickje Stoffels (a clause in Saskia’s will prevented them from ever marrying), and, in the early 1660s, she and Titus took Rembrandt in hand, sorting out his finances and making him their employee. With his money problems solved, a relieved Rembrandt then produced some of his finest paintings, emotionally deep and contemplative works with a rough finish, the paint often daubed almost trowel-like. Hendrickje died in 1663, Titus in 1668, a year before his father.
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The Concertgebouw
Concertgebouwplein 2–6; tel 020/671 8345, www.concertgebouw.nl.
The Concertgebouw (Concert Hall) is the home of the famed – and much recorded – Koninklijk (Royal) Concertgebouw Orchestra. When the German composer Brahms visited Amsterdam in the 1870s he was scathing about the locals’ lack of culture and in particular their lack of an even halfway suitable venue for his music. In the face of such ridicule, a consortium of Amsterdam businessmen got together to fund the construction of a brand-new concert hall and the result was the Concertgebouw, completed in 1888. Since then it has become renowned among musicians and concertgoers for its marvellous acoustics, and after a facelift and the replacement of its crumbling foundations in the early 1990s it is looking – and sounding – better than ever. The acoustics of the Grote Zaal (Large Hall) are unparalleled, and the smaller Kleine Zaal regularly hosts chamber concerts, often by the resident Borodin Quartet. Prices are very reasonable, €30–50, there are free Wednesday lunchtime concerts from September to May, and in July and August they put on a heavily subsidized series of summer concerts.
The Vondelpark
Amsterdam is short of green spaces, which makes the leafy expanses of the Vondelpark, a short stretch from Museumplein (and the Concertgebouw), doubly welcome. This is easily the largest and most popular of the city’s parks, its network of footpaths used by a healthy slice of the city’s population. The park dates back to 1864, when a group of leading Amsterdammers clubbed together to transform the soggy marshland that lay beyond the Leidsepoort into a landscaped park. Named after the popular seventeenth-century poet Joost van den Vondel, the park possesses over 100 species of tree, a wide variety of local and imported plants, and – amongst many incidental features – a bandstand, an excellent rose garden, and a network of ponds and narrow waterways that are home to many sorts of wildfowl. There are other animals too: cows, sheep, hundreds of squirrels, plus, bizarrely enough, a large colony of bright-green parakeets. During the summer the park regularly hosts free concerts and theatrical performances, mostly in its own specially designed open-air theatre.
The Vondelkerk
The Vondelkerk, with its lugubrious brown brick hull and whopping spire, has had more than its share of bad luck. Work on the church, which was designed by Cuypers – the architect of Centraal Station and the Rijksmuseum – began in 1872, but the finances ran out the following year and the building was not completed till the 1880s. Twenty years later it was struck by lightning and in the ensuing fire its tower was burnt to a cinder – the present one was added much later. The church always struggled to find a decent-sized congregation, but limped on until it was finally deconsecrated in 1979, being turned into offices thereafter.
The Nederlands Filmmuseum and Library
Vondelpark 3; tel 020/589 1400, www.filmmuseum.nl.
Housed in a glum, nineteenth-century building near the northeast corner of the Vondelpark, the Nederlands Filmmuseum is really more an arthouse cinema (with two screens) than a museum, a showcase for avant-garde films – most of which are shown in their original language, with subtitles in Dutch or sometimes English. There are several screenings nightly, plus regular matinees, and the programme often follows a prescribed theme or subject. Look out also for news of the free screenings of classic movies in the summer. Metres away, at Vondelstraat 69, the museum’s film library (Tues–Thurs 10am–5pm, Sat 11am–5pm) has a substantial collection of books, magazines and journals, some in English, though they are for reference only.
Shops
Jacob van Wijngaarden
Overtoom 97; tel 020/612 1901.
The city’s best travel bookshop, with knowledgeable staff and a huge selection of books and maps. Also inflatable and illuminated globes.
Edgar Vos
P.C. Hooftstraat 136; tel 020/671 2748.
Flagship store of the Dutch haute couture designer – power dressing for women and a good casual range too.
Cafés and tearooms
CoBrA
Museumplein.
A modern café set up during the renovation of the square, with paintings from the twentieth-century CoBrA movement. The terrace has become the new hotspot for Amsterdam’s professional couples and their kids. The club sandwiches are pricey but good, but the coffee could be better.
Keyser
Van Baerlestraat 96; tel 020/671 1441. Closed Sun.
In operation since 1905, and right next to the Concertgebouw, this café/restaurant exudes a fin-de-siècle charm, with ferns, gliding bow-tied waiters, and a dark carved-wood interior. Prices are slightly above average, especially for the food, but it’s a wonderful place nonetheless. You’ll need to make bookings for the restaurant, and dress accordingly.
Welling
J.W. Brouwersstraat 32.
Supposedly the traditional haunt of the gloomy Amsterdam intellectual, this café-cum-bar is usually packed solid with performers and visitors from the Concertgebouw next door.
Restaurants
Dionysos
Overtoom 176; tel 020/689 4441. Daily 5pm–1am.
Inexpensive Greek restaurant a little to the south of Leidseplein, with the distinct added advantage of serving until 1am. Phone ahead if you’re going to turn up after midnight.
Gent aan de Schinkel
Theophile de Bockstraat 1; tel 020/388 2851.
Lovely corner restaurant on a busy canal. Belgian and fusion cuisine and a huge range of bottled Belgian beers to enjoy on their summer terrace. Just outside the other entrance to the Vondelpark, across the cyclist bridge. Moderately priced.
Le Garage
Ruysdaelstra
at 54; tel 020/679 7176. Daily 6–11pm, Mon–Fri also noon–2pm.
This elegant and pricey restaurant is popular with a media crowd, since it’s run by a well-known Dutch TV cook. An eclectic French and Italian menu; call to reserve a week ahead, dress to impress and bring at least €35 or so per person.
Loetje
Joh Vermeerstraat 52; tel 020/662 8173.
One of the two best steakhouses in town (the other one being Piet de Leeuw). Kitchen open 11am–10pm, closed on Sun, Sat no lunch. Moderate prices.
Orient
Van Baerlestraat 21; tel 020/673 4958.
Moderate to expensive Indonesian restaurant. Excellently prepared dishes, with a wide range to choose from; vegetarians are very well taken care of, and the service is generally good. Expect to pay around €25 for a rijsttafel.
Sama Sebo
P.C. Hooftstraat 27; tel 020/662 8146. Closed Sun.
Amsterdam’s best-known Indonesian restaurant, especially for its delicious rijsttafel (€25). If you are on a tight budget, the prices may initially put you off, but it’s easy to eat quite reasonably by choosing à la carte dishes, and the food is usually great.
Bars
’t Blauwe Theehuis
Vondelpark 5, www.blauwetheehuis.nl. Daily 9am till late.
Beautiful tearoom/café/bar housed in a circular building from the De Stijl period. A good place for breakfast and for open-air dancing with DJs on Fri & Sat nights; jazz on Thurs.
De Vondeltuin
Vondelpark 7; tel 020/664 5091. April–Oct daily 11am–1am; Nov–March Sat & Sun noon–5pm.
Peaceful terrace on the Amstelveen side of the Vondelpark serving tapas, fresh salads and pancakes, next to the in-line skate rental. A picnic or barbecue in the park including skate rental can be arranged for around €20.
Wildschut
Roelof Hartplein 1.
Large and congenial bar famous for its Art Deco trimmings. Not far from the Concertgebouw and with examples of the Amsterdam School of Architecture.
The outer districts
Amsterdam is a small city, and the majority of its residential outer districts are easily reached from the city centre. The south holds most of interest, kicking off with the raucous De Pijp quarter, home to the Heineken Experience, sited in the company’s old brewery, and the 1930s architecture of the Nieuw Zuid (New South), which also contains the enjoyable woodland area of the Amsterdamse Bos. As for the other districts, you’ll find a good deal less reason to make the effort, although the Tropenmuseum, a short walk from the Muiderpoort gate in Amsterdam East, is worth a special journey.
De Pijp
Across Boerenwetering, the canal to the east of the Rijksmuseum and Museumplein, lies the busy heart of the Oud Zuid (Old South) – the district known as De Pijp ("The Pipe"), Amsterdam’s first real suburb. New development beyond the Singelgracht began around 1870, but after laying down the street plans, the city council left the actual house-building to private developers. They made the most of the arrangement and constructed long rows of cheaply built and largely featureless five- and six-storey buildings and it is these which still dominate the area today. The district’s name comes from the characteristically narrow terraced streets running between long, sombre canyons of brick tenements: the apartments here were said to resemble pipe-drawers, since each had a tiny street frontage but extended deep into the building. De Pijp remains one of the city’s more closely knit communities, and is home to a large proportion of new immigrants – Surinamese, Moroccan, Turkish and Asian.
Trams #16 and #24, beginning at Centraal Station, travel along the northern part of De Pijp’s main drag, Ferdinand Bolstraat, as far as Albert Cuypstraat.
The Heineken Experience
Stadhouderskade 78; tel 020/523 9666, www.heinekenexperience.com. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm. €10.
On the northern edge of De Pijp, the former Heineken brewery, a whopping modern building beside the Singelgracht canal, now holds the Heineken Experience. The brewery was Heineken’s headquarters from 1864 to 1988, when the company was restructured and brewing was moved to a more efficient location out of town. Since then, Heineken has developed the site as a tourist attraction with displays on the history of beer-making in general and Heineken in particular. The old brewing facilities are included on the tour, but for many the main draw is the free beer you get to quaff at the end in the bar – three drinks, and a souvenir glass, which isn’t bad value.
Albert Cuypstraat market
Ferdinand Bolstraat, running north–south, is De Pijp’s main street, but the long, slim east–west thoroughfare of Albert Cuypstraat is its heart. The daily general market held here – which stretches for over a kilometre between Ferdinand Bolstraat and Van Woustraat – is the largest in the city, with a huge array of stalls selling everything from cut-price carrots and raw-herring sandwiches to saucepans and Day-Glo thongs. Check out, too, the bargain-basement and ethnic shops that flank the market on each side, and the Indian and Surinamese restaurants down the side streets – they’re often cheaper than their equivalents in the city centre.
The Sarphatipark
Leafy Sarphatipark provides a welcome splash of greenery amongst the surrounding brick and concrete. The park, complete with footpaths and a sinewy lake, was laid out before the construction of De Pijp got underway, and was initially intended as a place for the bourgeoisie to take a picnic.
The Nieuw Zuid
Southwest of De Pijp, the Nieuw Zuid (New South) was the first properly planned extension to the city since the concentric canals of the seventeenth century. The Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage was responsible for the overall plan, but much of the implementation passed to a pair of prominent architects of the Amsterdam School, Michael de Klerk and Piet Kramer, and it’s the playful architectural vision of these two – turrets and bulging windows, sloping roofs and frilly balustrades – that you see in the buildings of the Nieuw Zuid today. As a result, the Nieuw Zuid has become one of Amsterdam’s most sought-after addresses. Apollolaan and, a little way to the east, Churchilllaan, are especially favoured and home to some of the city’s most sumptuous properties – huge idiosyncratic mansions set back from the street behind trees and generous gardens. Locals pop to the shops on Beethovenstraat, the main drag running south right through the district, and stroll through the languid greenery of the Beatrixpark, or, slightly further out, the Amsterdamse Bos, but there’s not much to attract the visitor who isn’t a student of modern architecture.
The Amsterdam Hilton
One historic footnote that might entice you this far south is the Amsterdam Hilton, at Apollolaan 138, where John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged their famous week-long "Bed-In" for peace in 1969. Part celebrity farce, part skilful publicity stunt, the couple’s anti-war proclamations were certainly heard far and wide, but in Britain the press focused on the supposed evil influence of Yoko on John, which satisfied at least three subtexts – racism, sexism and anti-Americanism.
The Amsterdamse Bos
www.amsterdamsebos.nl.
With ten square kilometres of wooded parkland, the Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest), to the southwest of the Nieuw Zuid, is the city’s largest open space. Planted during the 1930s, the park was a large-scale attempt to provide gainful work for the city’s unemployed. Originally a bleak area of flat and marshy fields, it combines a rural feel with that of a well-tended city park – and thus the "forest" tag is something of a misnomer. In the north of the Bos, the Bosbaan is a kilometre-long dead-straight canal, popular for boating and swimming, and there are children’s playgrounds and spaces for various sports, including ice skating. There’s also a goat farm (tel 020/645 5034) and a nature reserve just to the south with bison and sheep. Canoes and pedaloes can be rented west of the Bosbaan at Grote Vijver ("big pond"; daily April–Oct 10.30am–7.30pm; tel 020/645 7831), or you can simply walk or jog your way around a choice of six clearly marked trails. The new Bezoekerscentrum het Bosmuseum (daily noon–5pm; free; tel 020/545 6100), also besid
e the Bosbaan, at the main entrance to the Bos at Bosbaanweg 5, is a visitor information centre that provides maps and information on the park’s facilities, as well as a kids’ corner, and upstairs has an exhibition on its history and function. Further information and a map can be found at Boerderij Meerzicht, a first-rate pancake house located to the east of the Bosbaan at Koenenkade 56 (tel 020/679 2744).
The main entrance to the Bos is close to the junction of Amstelveenseweg and Van Nijenrodeweg, some 3km south of the west end of the Vondelpark. Buses #170, #171 and #172, departing Centraal Station and the Leidseplein, ply Amstelveenseweg; from the nearest bus stop (Van Nijenrodeweg) it’s about 350m to the east end of Bosbaan, where you can rent a bike (April–Oct; tel 020/644 5473) – much the best way of getting around.
CoBrA Museum
Sandbergplein, Amstelveen; tram #5 from Centraal Station 020/5475050, www.cobra-museum.nl. Tues–Sun 11am–5pm. €7.50 5–16-year olds €3.50.
A great modern building housing works from the influential CoBrA movement, well worth the trip out. Decent temporary exhibitions too.
The Muiderpoort
Amsterdam East begins with Amsterdam’s old eastern gate, the Muiderpoort, a Neoclassical affair complete with a flashy cupola and grandiosely carved pediment. Napoleon staged a triumphal entry into the city through here in 1811, but his imperial pleasure was tempered by his half-starved troops, who could barely be restrained from helping themselves in a city of (what was to them) amazing luxury.
The Tropenmuseum
Linnaeusstraat 2; tram #9 from Centraal Station020/568 8215, www.tropenmuseum.nl. Daily 10am–5pm. €7.50, 6- to 17-year-olds €3.75.
Despite its general lack of appeal, the East district does have one obvious attraction – the Tropenmuseum, perched on the corner of another of the city’s municipal green spaces, the Oosterpark. With its cavernous central hall and three floors of gallery space, this museum has room to focus on themes such as the world’s cultural and historical influences, and impresses with its applied art.
Amsterdam Directions Page 10