7 minute read
The National Treasures of The Netherlands
Words and Photos by Major Rogers
Amsterdam. My favorite city in the world. Since I discovered the place in 2002, I’ve returned eight times in 20 years. When I tell people this, I’m often met with varied responses. Typically, people who have never been and sometimes the Dutch who live outside the grand European city feel it’s a dirty city, filled with litter and pickpockets. Unknowing Americans believe the entire place is red-lit and stoned. Both sentiments have a little truth, the latter being more exaggerated. For me, it’s like something from a fairytale. Centuries-old brick canal homes built in the Dutch Baroque style 400 years ago. Churches with towering steeples that ring hourly throughout the night. Streetlamp-lit canals that grow misty in the early mornings and again at twilight. The amber glow of pub windows, trilling bike bells, and inviting cafes surround me, as secure as a warm blanket.
It isn’t hard to find something to do, be it cultural, festive, or culinary driven, but this feature is focused on the museums in the area. Amsterdam is one of the most museum-dense cities in the world, and easily accessible by a public tram system that branches out to all attractions. Whatever your taste, there is a museum for you. Here, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Anne Frank House are top national attractions. The Rijksmuseum or “The Rijks,” (pronounced RIKES) is the national Museum of the Netherlands. In its galleries are 800 years of Dutch art history. If you only visit one museum, this should be it. Entire areas are dedicated to Rembrandt, including his best-known piece, "The Night Watch." Van Gogh’s self portraits and Vermeer’s works are housed among the 8,000 exhibits, within 80 galleries. The 200-year-old museum also houses the Cuypers Library. This multi-shelved and multi-storied room holds Holland's largest art history collection. If all the displayed books were stacked end-to-end, they would measure over a half-mile. If the collection in museum storage was included, the stack would grow to three miles. It’s a biblophile’s paradise, and the museum itself is heaven for art lovers.
Another permanent display in the Museum Quarter of Amsterdam is a short walk across the park to The Van Gogh Museum. Four levels of the museum are dedicated to the evolution of Van Gogh's paintings. You can get up close and personal with his art, as you stand inches away from his works of genius, seeing how each individual brush stroke came together to create a masterpiece.
Also displayed, incredibly, is his actual palette and a set of his oil paints. Looking at the tools of a master feels much like looking at the chisel of Michelangelo. The museum houses several hundred paintings, drawings, and letters of his, allowing you to be drawn in by the words and the soul of the artist at a personal level. “Find things beautiful as much as you can, most people find too little beautiful,” Vincent once wrote. Even when his life was full of torment, he recognized the power of beauty, and created amazing works of art for us to experience and draw inspiration from.
No Amsterdam trip should be considered complete without visiting the Anne Frank House. The building that once helped hide Jewish citizens during the Nazi occupation has been converted into a museum. Visitors enter the hidden secret entrance behind the same movable bookcase the family themselves walked through. For two years, two families and a gentleman held up in the secret annex, unable to move around during the day, as unsuspecting workers went about regular business in the floors below. Of the eight in hiding, one was Annelies Marie Frank, known today as Anne. She was 13 when she went into hiding. During her stay, she kept a diary, faithfully recording her story, experiences, and feelings while in the annex. Later, the families were discovered and deported to concentration camps. Anne and her older sister Margot, both weak from starvation and harsh weather conditions, passed away days apart, of typhus, only a couple weeks before the camp was liberated. Of the family of four, only the father, Otto, survived. He obtained Anne’s writings from a friend who had saved a few precious family items after illegally entering the premises after their arrest. Otto Frank took those writings (on display at the museum) and published them, which resulted in “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
There are also two must-see museums south of Amsterdam, an hour’s train ride though the beautiful countryside. The seaside city of The Hague (“Den Haag”) offers a couple of Holland's most popular museums: Escher in The Palace Museum and Mauritshuis. While the name M.C. Escher may not be familiar, it’s likely that you’ve seen his early 20th century art. He dealt in tessellated works of impossible mathematics and often played with infinity, reflections, and symmetry. The museum is permanently housed in the Queen’s Palace. The building once served as a seasonal home to the Dutch Queen Emma, and subsequent queens after, from the late 1800s to the 1930s. Just the opportunity to walk around inside is well worth the trip. The fact that it’s chock-full of Escher’s works is the cherry on top.
The other museum, Mauritshuis, is brimming with Dutch Golden Age art. The works are hosted in the former mansion of a count and regional prince. Along with over 800 pieces by various Dutch masters, the main event of the museum is “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” painted by Dutchman Johannes Vermeer. This world-renowned painting was once considered obscene, as no lady would dream of having her portrait painted with slightly parted lips. The model herself likely never existed; the painting is what the Dutch call a “tronie,” a portrait of no one person in particular.
With three bicycles for every car, it's no wonder Amsterdam has a reputation for being one of the most cycle-friendly cities in the world.
Amsterdam is a city willing to share her treasures with anyone willing to visit with the right eyes and spirit. Here, tourists can personally lay eyes on masterpieces only seen in books and movies. Seeing these pieces in person brings a thrill akin to the sensation felt when seeking travel and adventure. In these moments, the meaning of life remains a mystery, but one can definitely discover the true beauty of it.
