Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [65]
ARCAM (Amsterdam Centre for Architecture)
Moored behind ARCAM are all sorts of antique boats and barges, which together make an informal record of the development of local shipping; the earliest boats date from the middle of the nineteenth century, and plaques, in English and Dutch, give the historical lowdown on the more important vessels. The boats lead towards the massive elevated hood that rears up above the entrance to the River IJ tunnel. A good part of this hood is now occupied by NEMO (Tues–Sun 10am–5pm; Mon open same hours during school holidays and in July & Aug; €11.50, under-4s free; www.e-nemo.nl), a (pre-teenage) kids’ attraction par excellence, with all sorts of interactive science and technological exhibits spread over six decks. For more on NEMO, see "The zoo and museums".
Outside, moored at the NEMO jetty, is a full-scale replica of an East Indiaman, the 78-metre De Amsterdam (same times; €2 with NEMO ticket, otherwise €5). The ship has been temporarily relocated here while the Maritime Museum, which owns it, is closed. The original ship first set sail in 1748, but came to an ignominious end, getting stuck on the British coast near Hastings. Visitors can wander its decks and galleys, storerooms and gun bays at their leisure.
From NEMO a footbridge leads over the harbour to the brand-new city library, the Bibliotheek, which occupies a large and well-appointed modern block on Oosterdokskade (daily 10am–10pm; free internet access; www.oba.nl). From here, a second, even longer nautical walkway leads along the edge of the harbour back to Centraal Station. Alternatively, you can take Prins Hendrikkade for the short walk west to the Oudeschans canal (see "Kloveniersburgwal"), which serves as an attractive introduction to the Old Centre.
The Old Jewish Quarter and Eastern docklands | The Oosterdok | ARCAM, NEMO and the Bibliotheek |
Onward routes from the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum
From the Maritime Museum, there’s a choice of several routes: if you’re heading west, both the Canal Bus and the Museumboot will speedily return you to Centraal Station from the neighbouring NEMO centre. Alternatively, you can walk back to Centraal Station in about fifteen minutes, either along Prins Hendrikkade or rather more appealingly via the footbridge spanning the water between NEMO and the Oosterdokskade, the location of the new city library, the Bibliotheek. Finally, diligent sightseers can either venture southeast to the De Gooyer windmill or northeast – preferably by tram from Centraal Station – to the tangle of River IJ islands that comprise Zeeburg.
The Old Jewish Quarter and Eastern docklands | The Oosterdok |
Museum Werf ’t Kromhout and De Gooyer windmill
At no. 147 on Hoogte Kadijk is the Museum Werf ’t Kromhout (Tues 10am–3pm; €5; www.machinekamer.nl), one of the city’s few remaining shipyards. In their heyday, the Eastern docklands were strewn with shipyards just like this one. The first major contraction came at the end of the nineteenth century when steel and steam replaced timber and few of the existing yards were big enough to make the switch successfully. A number, including ’t Kromhout, struggled on, by concentrating on the repair and construction of smaller inshore and canal boats. Even so, ’t Kromhout almost went bust in 1969 and was only saved by turning into a combination of working shipyard and tourist attraction, its yard full of old boats, its museum littered with ancient engines and shipyard tools.
Continuing southeast along Hoogte Kadijk from ’t Kromhout, it’s about 500m to De Gooyer windmill, standing tall between two canals at Funenkade 5. Amsterdam was once dotted with windmills, used for pumping water and grinding corn, but most were demolished years ago and this is a rare survivor. If you have come this far, you’ll be pleased to discover that the bar and mini-brewery in the old public baths adjoining the windmill – the Brouwerij Het IJ (daily 3–8pm) – sells an excellent range of beers and ales. They brew an alarmingly strong