Oudzuid and the Museum Quartier:
Oudezuid (Old South) is a fashionable district just south of the Singelgracht canal from the city center. This is where you find the Museum Quartiers with Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Diamaond museum and Stedelijk museum. A large concert hall can also be found here. This area is rich and has many nice townhouses in New York/London style. Vondelpark is also in the area, but it has a separate section.
During my 6 days in Amsterdam I visited 4 museums: Rijksmuseum , Willet-Holthuysen, Anne Frank Huis and Rembrandt House Museum (see separate part).
Stadhouderskade, a street parralel to Singelgracht canal, with Rijksmuseum in the back.
Luxorious residential palaces at Stadhouderskade.
The canal is behind this mansion.
The green upmarket Oudzuid district reminds a bit of Greenwish Village, New York.
Rijksmuseum:
This is one of the world’s foremost art museums and the most famous in Amsterdam. It looks very large from the outside, but it currently feels like a not so large museum, because of large renovations until 2013. Only 400 of 1 million art objects were visible during my visit. The museum has almost a million visitors a year. Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Sten are among the most displayed artists. You can find the famous Nightwatch painting by Rembrandt here.
Rijksmuseum.
The museuem was founded in 1800 in The Hague, but was moved to Amsterdam in 1808. A new building was designed in Gothic and renaissance style, inaugurated in 1885.
Details of Rijksmusuem.
The arch to the entrance of Rijksmuseum.
The garden of Rijksmuseum.
Inside Rijksmuseum:
A miniature ship in the fojer.
The hallway at Rijksmuseum.
There were only a few halls open during my visit in 2012.
A large Rembrandt painting.
Rembrandt’s most famous painting, “The Nightwatch” from 1642.
A wellmade doll house.
The stairway hall of Rijksmuseum.
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Museumplein:
Museumplein is the green square with a pond, just south of Rijksmuseum, and north of Stedelijk museum. Here you can find the giant "Iamsterdam" letters. The square was reconstructed in 1999 after a Swedish/Danish landscape architect called Sven-Ingvar Andersson. In the winter, the pond can be transformed into an ice skating area.The square is often the locations for festivals, demonstrations and other big events.
"I amsterdam", these large letters form the slogan of Amsterdam.There are always people climbing the letters.
It was a very hot May day so people took the opportunity to bath in the pool at Museumplein.
Stedelijk Museum, the 2nd largest art museum in Amsterdam. Also under renovation, unfortunately.
Rijksmuseum and "Iamsterdam" letters from Museumplein, a really hot day. The van Gogh museum is also in the area.
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Oud-West district, the quarters around Vondelpark:
Oud-West is a fashionable residential district similar to Oud-Zuid, but north and west of Vondelpark. It is also plush and relaxed.
Vondelstraat.
Vondelstraat is very plush (note the man that berries the flowers next to the Volvo).
Same shape, different colours.
Vondelkerk is a neo-gothic, cross shaped basilica from the 1800s. It fell into neglect, but was renovatedin 1980.
Oude-West seen from Vondelpark, one of the largest and most popular parks of Amsterdam.