By Lisanne Cheizoo
Business Manager
Every country has its cultural highlights. A list of top-ten must see attractions, varying from the biggest church to the smallest statue. Naturally, this is also true for the Netherlands. Next to its famous windmills and tulips, there is also an impressive history and cultural heritage that belongs to the land. There are many museums spread all over the country dedicated to some part of Dutch history, including the well-known Rijksmuseum. If you happen to have a Saturday off and are ready to do some exploring, why not visit this famous Dutch museum?
The Rijksmuseum, “State Museum” in English, is located in Amsterdam on the Museumplein and is the biggest museum of the Netherlands. Founded in 1800 by the Dutch government in The Hague, it was established to serve the same purpose as the Louvre in France, and became a prominent museum to display Dutch art and history.
Even though the Rijksmuseum is famous for exhibiting paintings by Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Vermeer, it is not only its collection, but the building itself that is also famous. The current building dates back to 1885, and is a combination of gothic and renaissance architectures. It was constructed in such a way that it would refer to typical Dutch architectural elements.
Why visit this museum, you might ask? The standard reply to this question would be because it is the Netherlands’ most important museum and therefore it is a must-see. However, there is more to this museum. At the beginning of the millennium, it became clear that the old building was in need of renovations. The Dutch government decided to finance the immense project of renovating the entire museum. Of course, this was easier said than done and this process took another ten years to be completed. Ten years. Can you imagine that Dutch children, who are now ten years old, have never seen the Rijksmuseum in all its glory?
This year, the museum was finally restored, and now the entire museum is finally open to visitors. This opening of the Rijksmuseum has been celebrated throughout the Netherlands and has already proven to be a big success with over one million people have already visited the museum since its opening on the 13th of April, according to the Dutch magazine Elsevier. Moreover, the Rijksmuseum now also contains a café and a specialized museum library, in addition to its art collections. With its extensive collection (8000 objects), it is definitely worth visiting.
So if you are planning to go to Amsterdam soon, do plan a visit to this wonderful museum and join the million other people who went before you. It is definitely worth the long train ride.
Lisanne Cheizoo, class of 2015, is a Literature and Theatre & Media Studies major from Uden, the Netherlands.
