The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands. This is a museum that is probably on anyone’s list when planning a trip to Amsterdam. Rijksmuseum (meaning State Museum) exists for more that two hundred years and is dedicated to art, crafts and history. A large number of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age can be found here, together with an impressive collection of Asian art.

Rijksmuseum is also the place where Rembrandt’s famous “Night Watch” painting can be admired.

There are over 8000 objects displayed in 80 galleries, and it seems that there is never enough time to see them all. The highlights of the museum are: the Gallery of Honour (an extended corridor directed towards a clear focal point: the Night Watch Gallery; on view in the side alcoves are masterpieces by the great artists of the seventeenth century), the Special collections (patriotic relics, porcelain, armoury, musical instruments etc), the three antique dolls’ houses (amazing miniaturist works) and the Cuypers Library (the oldest and most extensive collection of art history texts in the Netherlands).

The museum is situated in Museumplein (Museum Square) where you can also find the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Diamond Museum — no need to cross over half the city if you’re in the mood for a few museums in a row! Museumplein is an open space used for concerts, festivals or simply for sunbathing in a sunny afternoon.

In March this year, the I amsterdam letters were also there, ready to be part of thousands of photos with people from all over the world; maybe they still are, if the tourists climbing over haven’t brought them down.

There is a lovely little pond on the Museumplein side of the Rijksmusem building, which during winter is transformed in an ice-skating rink while during summer time it forms a great addition to the landscape (and a pool for children). Unfortunately there was maintenance work going on when I took the pictures, but that’s just a reason to return for another shooting session 🙂

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