Page 123 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Amsterdam

Museum Quarter ❮❮ 121

Museum Quarter 1 many different species of plants,
Rijksmuseum
trees and wildlife. A distinctive
Established by King Louis
Napoleon in 1808 along the lines of landmark, looking a little like a neat
the Paris Louvre, the Rijksmuseum boater turned upside-down, is the
collection has grown in the round Blauwe Theehuis (Blue
intervening years to nearly one Teahouse), built by H A J Baanders
million works of art. It has moved in 1936 in the New Functionalist
twice since its beginnings in the style (see p66 & p125).
Royal Palace on the Dam. Since
Max Euweplein
1885, it has been housed in P J H 4
Cuypers’ ornate Neo-Renaissance MAP C5 • Tram 1, 2, 5, 7, 10
building (see pp16–19). Named after the Netherlands’ only
chess champion, Max Euwe (1901–
1981), this square is built on the site
of the notorious World War II Huis
van Bewaring (House of Detention). It
is believed Anne Frank and her
family were initially held here after
their betrayal. A blue memorial with
glass teardrops commemorates this
dark passage of history. Nowadays,
Max Euweplein has a livelier vibe,
with the Hard Rock Café, Comedy
Café and Holland Casino all located
here. Chess buffs can visit the Max
Euwe-Centrum chess museum or
Rijksmuseum partake in a game on the oversized
board in the square.
Van Gogh Museum
2 Stedelijk Museum
The uncompromisingly
modern building by De Stijl architect 5
MAP C6 • Museumplein 10
Gerrit Rietveld was specially • Tram 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 • 020 573
designed to display the nation’s 2911 • Open 10am–6pm (until 10pm
collection of this disturbed yet Thu) • www.stedelijk.nl
brilliant artist’s work (see pp20–23). Devoted to modern art and design
from the mid-19th century to the
Vondelpark
3 pre sent day, this museum has an
impressive collection. The stun ning
MAP A6 • Stadhouderskade
• Tram 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 additional wing has increased the
Founded in 1864 by a group of exhibition area, as well as creating
philanthropic citizens, this congenial space for a café and shop (see p53).
park was later named after the
17th-century poet Joost van den
Vondel. Landscaped on informal
English lines in 1865 – and enlarged
in 1877 – by father and son J D and
L P Zocher, with wide green vistas,
a profusion of trees and lakes, a rose
garden and a bandstand, it became
a mecca for hippies in the late 1960s
and 1970s. It is still a lively place on
summer days, when people flock to
hear concerts and plays in the open-
air theatre (see p77), glimpse the
occasional juggler or fire-eater, jog,
rollerblade or play football. There are Stedelijk Museum

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