Amsterdam is known for many things, from its famous canals and tulips to the more notorious red light district and ‘coffee’ shops. But what many visitors don’t realise is that it also specialises in some distinctly quirky museums. Here’s 10 of the best from Cathy Winston at MummyTravels.com…
1 Tassenmuseum
A museum dedicated to bags and purses might sound like something that’s only for dedicated followers of fashion, but this fascinating collection gives an insight into the way society and culture have changed over the years, as illustrated by more than 5,000 handbags. There are centuries-old examples, and everything from underskirt saddlebag-style to art deco and modern designer.
2 Kattenkabinet
A whole museum devoted to cats – cats in art and culture, to be specific. With sculptures, photos and paintings among other items in the collection, you’ll find Rembrandt, Picasso and Lenin (a painting of him, with cat, at least) all included.
3 Biblical Museum
You don’t need to be a dedicated Bible reader to be fascinated by the Bijbels Museum, in two historic buildings on the Herengracht, with a painted ceiling from 1718. As well as the oldest Bible printed in the Netherlands among the collection, there’s also other artefacts illustrating life in biblical times, such as clay tablets and papyrus, along with a life-sized reconstruction of the shrine housing the Ark of the Covenant.
4 Tattoo Museum
One of the city’s newest museums, the exhibits trace the history of tattooing in different countries and cultures with an enormous 40,000 objects in the collection. Every month a big name tattoo artist in residence visits to ink visitors or you can learn more about the tattooing traditions in different subcultures such as sailors or in prison, along with sections on Africa, America, Oceania and Asia. There’s also a permanent tattoo workshop if the urge strikes.
5 Sex Museum
Not for the easily embarrassed, the Sex museum starts with a figure of Venus and Marilyn Monroe with her skirt constantly flying, before whisking you past two erect plastic phalluses to different rooms where the focus is on art, old photographs and unusual exhibits rather than teetering into outright pornography. There is a different soundtrack to each room, themed on the Marquis de Sade, Mata Hari and Oscar Wilde among others, although it’s more likely to provoke giggles than blushes.
6 Electric Ladyland
The first (and only) museum of fluorescent art, it’s as much an experience as a museum – the idea is for visitors to become part of the artwork during their visit to one large fluorescent room. You’ll also see fluorescent minerals bursting into colour under different light wavelengths.
7 Houseboat Museum
Amsterdam has around 2,500 houseboats, many turned into B&Bs or rented out, and it’s as much part of the city as the canals they float on. So if you’ve always wondered what it’s really like to live on the water, there’s a museum for that too, answering questions about how water, electricity and sewage operates. And it’s set, of course, on a converted houseboat that’s set up as if the owners had just popped out.
8 Spectacles Museum
A private collector’s passion for optometric objects was the starting point for this unusual museum covering spectacle fashion and history dating back 700 years. The highlight is the recreated 1930’s spectacle shop selling historic frames alongside modern models, while the 17th century building housing it is also an added bonus.
9 The Pianola Museum
One of Amsterdam’s smallest museums, it’s home to pianolas and reproduction pianos, as well as more than 30,000 perforated paper music rolls in its archive collection – most can still be played on the instruments on display. There’s also information on the history of the self-playing instruments and the technology behind them.
10 The Tulip Museum
The national icon of the Netherlands, the Dutch have always loved their tulips – to the extent of selling their houses to invest in the flower at the height of the 17th century tulip obsession known as Tulipomania. The museum follows the flower’s history and the peak of the craze, as well as giving the chance to buy some bulbs on the way out.
