The Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands, a grand palace of art on Amsterdam's Museum Square holding the greatest collection of Dutch Golden Age painting in the world. Its Gallery of Honour builds to Rembrandt's colossal Night Watch, restored in full public view, alongside the quiet, luminous interiors of Vermeer, Frans Hals and a treasury of Dutch history and craft.

History

The museum was founded in The Hague on 19 November 1798 and opened as the National Art Gallery in Huis ten Bosch on 31 May 1800. On the orders of King Louis Bonaparte it moved to Amsterdam in 1808, when paintings owned by the city, such as Rembrandt's Night Watch, joined the collection; Pierre Cuypers won the design contest of 1876, the present building opened on 13 July 1885, and it reopened on 13 April 2013 after a ten-year renovation (Wikipedia, Rijksmuseum).

What you'll find

• Rembrandt's Night Watch - the colossal masterpiece at the gallery's climax.
• Vermeer - the luminous, quiet domestic scenes.
• The Gallery of Honour - the great hall of Golden Age masters.
• The building and library - the grand palace and its beautiful library.

When to go

Year-round; a fully indoor museum, ideal in any weather, and worth a half day at least. Book a timed ticket ahead and go early, as the Night Watch hall gets very crowded.

Practical notes

It is vast, so focus on the Golden Age highlights rather than every room. The Night Watch hall is always crowded. Book ahead and go early. Museum Square, shared with the Van Gogh Museum, gets very busy in peak season.

Nearby

The Van Gogh Museum is next door; the canals and the Vondelpark are a short walk.

Key facts