National Maritime Museum — Attraction in Amsterdam

Make sure to be here very early, this museum is huge.

Outside are 3 ships, the huge replica Amsterdam, an old steamship and a royal ship build by our first king Willem I. The north section will teach you everything about the harbor through history and now. The east section includes most famous paintings, detailed globes and ancient maps. Also included are ship decorations and navigation intruments. The west section will tell you about the life at a ship, about wale hunting, and about the Dutch Golden age. It also includes a section called "gamechangers" This will teach you about great dutch maritime inventions that made The Netherlands great.

Amazing Museum, tells a lot about General and more specific Dutch history. This is a place every Dutch citzien and tourist should go to. The Building itself is Build in the 17th century, in the Dutch Golden age. It was used as a warehouse for stuff like guns cannons and sails for ships. A government controled warehouse was needed due to the huge expansion of worldwide trade and war. Learn everything about the VOC and the WIC, which were the first international companies, the set sail to the new world. Thanks to the VOC trade the first Stock market ever became reality. In this period Amsterdam was worlds largest harbor. This growths is due some great inventions made by some Dutchman. For example New shapes of ships were designed and worldwide introduced. New navigate equipement was made such as globes, globes from Amsterdam were worldwide popular. A new type of windmill was designed which could saw wood, this made wood sawing 30 times faster. Now Amsterdam Harbor is number 4 of Europe, after number one which is the Dutch city Rotterdam. The Museum tells you about Dutch inventions during the last hundreds of years, the ancient harbor and tells you about the current harbor, which includes worlds largerst cocoa import. You will learn more about specific Dutch stories which made Holland great and learn a lot about some big ancient wars. The 80 years with spain or the 3 wars with England. When you visit this museum you will granted acces to the replica ancient warship The Amsterdam which is next to the museum. Ever wondered why New Zealand is written with a Z or why New York was first called New Amsterdam? Then you should go here.

N.B.

Other musea: Wanna know some more about VOC and colonies, about apartheid and about slave trade? Wanna see some great ancient treasures from all our international trips, then you should visit the Tropenmuseum.

Wanna know some more general Dutch history and see famous paintings and broaden your horizon about our kingdom and ancient republic then you should go to De Rijksmuseum.

I also reccomend to go to De Zaanse Schans. Its...

As someone with roots in a former Dutch colony in India, the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam was a profound experience. Housed in a striking 17th-century naval storehouse, it masterfully blends the Netherlands’ seafaring past with honest reflections on its colonial impact. The Republic at Sea exhibit, with its intricate ship models, nautical charts, and paintings by artists like Willem van de Velde, vividly brings the Dutch Golden Age to life, evoking the ships that sailed to Kochi and Pulicat. The life-sized Amsterdam ship replica is a standout—walking its decks, from cramped crew quarters to the captain’s cabin, I could almost feel the voyages that shaped my homeland’s history.

The museum excels in addressing colonialism’s complexities. The Decoding the Atlantic World exhibit uses artifacts, maps, and multimedia to explore the Dutch East India Company’s (VOC) global reach, including its role in India’s spice trade, while confronting the exploitation involved. The Atlantic Window series, featuring artists like Kevin Osepa, adds a modern perspective with thought-provoking visuals on cultural legacies. Food for Thought connects historical trade routes to today’s sustainability issues, resonating with India’s agricultural past. These exhibits made me reflect on both the ingenuity and consequences of Dutch maritime history.

Interactive displays keep it engaging. This museum is a must-visit for its immersive exhibits and balanced perspective. Plan 2-3 hours to explore, especially the Amsterdam and...

The beautiful Dutch city of Amsterdam exists because of its historical naval conquests and successes. So the Amsterdam Maritime museum is a must visit when in Holland.

This museum is very efficiently laid out and truly highlights what work went into making Amsterdam a world power during its golden era up until today. Visitors are provided with a listening device (in many languages) as part of the entry fee that intelligently activates when pointed at strategic spots. After the three well laid out halls, where there are intricate maps, original tools/materials, and exquisite paintings/artifacts, the replica of the tall Merchant Dutchmen ship is the icing on the cake.

Visitors can go on this tall ship and try to imagine what a 3-6 month sea voyage would have been like. From top to bottom, one can explore this fine example of the craft of the Dutch ship building. There is even a Virtual Reality room, where one can get a seagull's eyeview of the ships and harbour in the 1600.

The entire experience was well worth the time as it tied up well with some of the other tours we took. We highly recommend it. Allow about 2.5 to 3 hours for it as there is a lot of material to cover. I suggest bringing your own earbuds/headphones as you can plug them into the listening device (but they do not provide you with one).

To close off, we stopped at the coffee shop for a little bite. They offered an amazing Dutch apple pie with whipped cream to die for....