The Rijksmuseum is a museum that you should not miss during your visit to Amsterdam. It is one of the largest, most famous and most visited museums in the city and in the Netherlands. With a beautiful central location and a magnificent stately building you cannot leave the city without visiting this museum.

The building

The Rijksmuseum building was designed by P.J.H. Cuypers and was completed in 1885 after years of construction. The building was already built at the time with the idea of actually using it as a museum. In the beginning, of course, the Rijksmuseum's collection was to be admired, but also the “Museum of Living Nederlandsche Meesters” and the “Nederlandsch Museum for History and Art” were located in the same building. In 1927, the moment was when a split took place and the Rijksmuseum remained the only one in the building.

Between 2003 and 2013 there was a major renovation in the museum. In stages, the entire building was taken care of. The main building closed with the thought that this would only be for a few years. Eventually the renovation took much longer than anticipated and it was only opened to the public after 10 years. Spaces have been fully addressed and much of the old style of the museum has reappeared. The official re-opening was made on 13 April 2013 by Queen Beatrix. Every year millions of visitors visit the museum, this has been made possible due to the major renovations.

Collection

The Rijksmuseum collection is very diverse but with a number of world-famous works by world-famous artists. A few highlights are:

• The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn (painting)
• The Milkmaid of Johannes Vermeer (painting)
• The Jewish Bride by Rembrandt van Rijn (painting)
• The Street of Johannes Vermeer (painting)
• Hare hunt by Pieter Breugel the Elder (printart)
• Mowers of Joseph Israelis (print art)

In addition to the above works, there is endless more to view, in total there are many tens of thousands of different objects. These are paintings, prints, Asian art, sculpture and much more.

Digitisation

The Rijksmuseum is an absolute frontrunner of these type of museums that is already that far in digitizing the collection. On the website https://library.rijksmuseum.nl/ you can view this. In total, more than 200,000 objects have been released with descriptions and high-resolution photos. 

Exhibitions

Exhibitions are held in the museum on a regular basis. Temporary exhibitions are held in the Philips Wing. There have been many hundreds of exhibitions over the years. A few well-known “Late Rembrandt” in 2015 and the collection of Jan Steen in 1996, both exhibitions attracted many visitors from around the world in just a few weeks.

Hospitality

Within the museum you can get food and drinks at the café but you can also have a proper dinner at the Rijks restaurant. A perfect way to combine cultural highlight with culinary highlights. Give your feed and mind a little rest while enjoying a nice cup of coffee with some delicacies. You can also enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner in the good restaurant. Many guests have been here and have enjoyed the quality cuisine led by Joris Bijdendijk.

Tickets

Tickets are available at the door. Keep in mind that sometimes it can be very busy buying tickets at the museum itself. It is wise to buy your tickets online. This is fast and simple, but more importantly, you can walk along the line in front of the entrance. There are also tickets available online where you can take a guided tour of the museum. With a museum year card you can enter the museum for free.