Maritime Museum - Maritime Museum information and pictures



The Netherlands Maritime Museum or Scheepvaartmuseum as the Dutch call it, is located along Amsterdam’s historical nautical district in a 17th century former naval storage facility. The centuries old building was converted into one of the World’s most important maritime museums in the 1970s. The museum is stuffed with ancient nautical treasures. Visitors can tour a moored replica of the ill fated ship, the Amsterdam and pour over ancient hand drawn maps made by cartographers of the Dutch East India Company.

The museum recently closed for extensive renovations and is not expected to reopen until sometime in 2010. A glass-roofed courtyard will be added as the new portal to the numerous museum exhibits. During the renovations, the Amsterdam will be moored at the nearby Nemo Science Center and will remain available for tours.

Museum Exhibits - The museum offers 25 rooms of maritime memorabilia, including drawings, nautical paintings, 15th century maps, weaponry and hundreds of models of ships. There is also a periscope and a radar cabin that visitors can handle and climb through.

The museum offers a large exhibit of the successful history of the Dutch India Company and its important role throughout the seafaring “Golden Age.” The original receipt for the Dutch purchase of the territory called New Amsterdam, what is now New York, is on display.

An ornately decorated, 19th century royal barge, originally built for King Willem I is one of the most popular museum displays. It was built in Rotterdam in 1818 with elaborate carvings created by sculptors, Racable and Anotoine d'Anvers trimmed in gold. The last royal function held on the barge was the silver wedding anniversary of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernard in 1962.

Dutch East-India Merchantman (Amsterdam) - A tour of the replica of the ship, Dutch East-India Merchantman or the Amsterdam, is a must-see attraction when visiting the Maritime Museum. The Amsterdam mysteriously vanished somewhere off the coast of England in 1749, during its maiden voyage.

The Amsterdam replica is temporarily moored at the Nemo Science Center. When touring the ship during the warmer months, costumed actors demonstrate 18th century naval exercises, perform a mock burial at sea and prepare a meal typical of what the ancient sailors might have eaten. Children and adults alike will enjoy a tour of this ancient ship.

Where is Netherlands Maritime Museum: Kattenburgerplein 1

Visit the official web site of Netherlands Maritime Museum




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