Will you be traveling to Amsterdam, Netherlands anytime soon? If so, it is likely that you plan on at least doing a few tourist activities while you are there. I know that often times vacations can get hectic and sometimes slightly boring after you've spent long days after days carting around your touring group to one attraction after another. But as is usually the case in most cities or towns anywhere, some of these attractions should not be missed. And in Amsterdam, those are the museums. From the museum on Cannabis culture to the Rembrandt museum, Amsterdam is known throughout the world for its extraordinary art and informational exhibitions of all sorts. From conservative, traditional to all out bizarre, Amsterdam has the best of them.
But where do you find out about museums in Amsterdam, Netherlands? How do you know which Amsterdam museums are worth it? Well, many of the classic, tourist-trap type, if you will, Amsterdam museums will be listed on a city map or in any major tour book. You might even find out about some from your local AAA office, or other travel agent. But as for the rather odd ones, the ones that are a bit harder to find and even more fun to talk about back home; here is a brief list and description. The following are six Amsterdam Museums that cross over the line of ordinary. Hopefully you will enjoy them.
The giant four story NEMO science center is one Amsterdam museum attraction that many tourists might easily miss. Despite its huge presence right on the water near the city's Centraal Station, this Mecca of experiments and knowledge is sort of tucked away and requires a little walk off into the distance of seemingly nowhere to get to. It is not hard to miss though, for the science museum is marked by its architecture; the building design consists externally of a massive ship from an aerial view that appears as though it has landed halfway in the water. Once inside the structure, nobody would ever notice this look, and sadly it is raised so much above ground that depending on which way one enters the museum, it could be easy to miss completely. But the NEMO center, the largest science museum in the Netherlands has plenty of character inside as well. Families with children, couples, even grandparents of any age can enjoy this world of fun, hands on learning tools. From the life-size bubble maker to the music machine media-type area to an exhibit that allows you to climb on the ceiling, NEMO has something for every type and level of learner. The top floor also allows one to view the entire capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam.
Email: info@e-NEMO.nl
Telephone: 00-31-20-531 32 33
Tropenmuseum
This Amsterdam museum is pretty much what the name implies; it is a museum all about tropical locations. And I do mean all about. With permanent exhibits on the regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania, Western Asia, North Africa, Africa, Latin America and subjects such as Man and Environment and Music, Dance and Theater, the Tropenmuseum is the perfect place to find extensive information about non-western cultures of the world. With artwork and exhibition material consisting of anything from Photography to found objects to work by native to tropical area painters, this venue allows for acquiring new knowledge in a fun, lighthearted way. The museum is renowned worldwide for its unequivical ability to send its visitors right into the heart of their featured tropical locales by magnificent displays that look, sound, feel and even smell and taste as if they were experiencing the setting firsthand. Even better is the little dining area they have set up specifically to satisfy your thirst and hunger with all kinds of unique culinary creations from these tropical regions. Note that while the Tropecmuseum is enjoyable for all ages, including youngsters, the children's exhibits are primarily set up for Dutch speaking kiddies.
tel. 020-568 8200.
Brilmuseum - Amsterdam Museum of Glasses
Yes, believe it or not this four story historic home (dating back to 1620) belongs to a most interesting, yet likely a tad bit peculiar family of a 3rd generation optician who set out to not only educate the world on the elaborate history of spectacle invention, development and evolution throughout the years, but also to house the worlds largest and most unique arrangement of all types of spectacles. It has been about a thirty-five year venture, but what has resulted is a quite extraordinary collection of you-name-it types of spectacles; from tacky to classy to chic to mod style, to nerd to librarian, to your stereotypcial four eyed geeky four eyes before they started to become fashionable, every kind imaginable is displayed in this museum. And while the tour itself is slightly long, the fact that such an oddball place like the Spectacles Museum exists is reason enough to check it out. And really, even if you arent exactly a spectacles connoiesseur, this unique array of glasses will blow your mind. And even if you decide the ticket price is too high for a long histroy on glasses, you should at least take a little detour to the quiet street of Gasthuismolensteeg (number 7), tucked away off of Singel toward Centraal Station and check out the spectacle museum gift shop. Featuring spectacles from historical figures and one of a kind designs from masters in the art of spectacles, you may just discover a hidden fetish for spectacle accessories. But check your bank account before entering. You might not be able to buy just one and they certainly are pricey. Brilmuseum is located in the Rembrandtplein
Tel. 421 24 14
contact: brilmuseum.brillenwinkel@worldmail.nl
The Torture Museum
The Torture Museum, located also off of Singel is not really what you would expect. Though the self directed tour requires a walk through dark and musty narrow hallways filled with some serious middle aged torture equipment, it's not exactly spooky and it doesn't really succeed in putting you back in the time period confronted with an unwanted execution. Which, depending on how you look at it could be a good or bad thing. Perhaps to have done up the museum so much as to put the visitors in the torture seat more or less, might have been just a little too controversial or distrubing even for an Amsterdam museum. But the way the museum is now, feels simply like an average museum, where one strolls through, pauses to view exhibits, reads a bit about them on the wall and then moves on. And though, people might often be seeking to really get face to face with the evil and fear that comes along with torturous deeds, it seems almost that by keeping the atmosphere sort of neutral and objective, the designers did an ideal job of showing the carelessness and normalcy with which the torturers sadistically tantalized their victims. So even though it wasn't what most would expect with a name like Torture Museum, it was certainly a fascinating historical learning experience that additionally, would be very likely thrilling and even maybe erotic to those who enjoy this type of role playing in daily life.
Contact: info@torturemuseum.com
The Amsterdam Sex Museum
The Sex Museum, known as the Venustempel is not only the very first and oldest sex museum in the world but also one of the most successful. This Amsterdam museum features historical up to modern artwork featuring all forms of sex, from the sensual and more love infused aspect, to traditional pornography, to exhibits, displays and paintings of hardcore sexual activity. If you are going to the sex museum in search of a giggle or perhaps for the shock value that the title of the place might imply, you may be slightly disappointed. While this museum is fun, it isn't exactly raunchy or so offensive that you'd want to tell stories about it back home for years to come. It's actually much more sophisticated than that. It seems that the museums goal is to celebrate the beauty and magnificence of the sexual art and if that is true, they do an amazing job. If you are interested in a more novelty, crazy, maybe even rebellious for some, type of sex display, you may want to head over to the Erotic Museum, as described below. Info for the Amsterdam Sex Museum is as follows:
Location: Damrak 18 2012 LH Amsterdam
tel: +31 (0) 20 622 8376
The Erotic Museum
While the Sex Museum is rather conservative, the Erotic Museum has seemingly no limits. With five floors of crazy, flashy, artistic sculptures, paintings, cartoons and even some interactive (yet clean!) exhibits, this Amsterdam museum takes you into the world of hardcore pornography and bizarre fetishes. The displays here are certainly still quality enough to be considered artistic and maybe sensual (ok-some) to a degree, but it is more like a novelty museum. While the Venustempel seems to celebrate the softness and beauty of sex in its various forms, the Erotic Museum seems to want to celebrate the fun, excitement and spontaneity of the act and hobby, or for many in this Red Light District Erotic Museum location, the occupation. There are displays of such overt sexual fetishes like manneiquins with fruit shoved into their orifices, one area that makes light of the red light prostitutes as it encourages visitors to stand in their makeshift red lit window. And for the big kicker, if you take the time to notice while ascending up to the top floor, is a lovely little busty mannequin squatting above you and urinating on something like the glass right above your head. Dont expect to be super turned on by this museum, but it is a great laugh and something worth going to just because you might never see anything like it again.
Located at OZ. Achterburgwal 54. Red Light District.
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