Het Scheepvaartmuseum

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The impetus came in 1916 with the founding of the Vereeniging Nederlandsch Historisch Scheepvaart Museum, which built up a collection on maritime history. The first museum opened a few years later in its own building in the south of Amsterdam.

In 1973 the museum moved into ’s Lands Zeemagazijn on Kattenburgerplein, a storehouse built in 1656 for the Amsterdam Admiralty, where equipment for the navy was once kept. The monumental building on an artificial island in the Oosterdok is itself one of the most important exhibits. It was thoroughly renovated between 2007 and 2011; since then a glass roof with compass-rose motifs has spanned the courtyard, the “Open Plein”, and the institution has presented itself as Het Scheepvaartmuseum.

With several hundred thousand objects, the collection is one of the largest maritime holdings in the world: paintings, nautical charts and atlases, navigational instruments, ship models and ship ornaments. Moored at the museum jetty are the replica of the East Indiaman Amsterdam, built in the 1980s, the royal barge of 1818 and the steam icebreaker Christiaan Brunings of 1900.

Alongside the golden age of the Dutch Republic in the 17th and 18th centuries, the museum increasingly sheds light on the dark sides of seafaring, such as colonialism and the slave trade, as well as present-day issues like ocean conservation. With family exhibitions and a neighborhood program, it appeals to a broad audience.

Highlights

• Replica of the VOC ship Amsterdam to explore on and below deck
• Royal barge of 1818 in its own boathouse
• Exhibition “Republiek aan Zee” with around 50 top pieces on seafaring in the 17th and 18th centuries
• Glass-roofed courtyard in the 1656 arsenal
• Navigational instruments beneath an artificial starry sky
• Family exhibitions “Duiker Doris” and “Het verhaal van de walvis”

Permanent exhibitions

• Republiek aan Zee – Main gallery with around 50 paintings, art objects and ship models on how the Netherlands became a seafaring nation in the 17th and 18th centuries.
• VOC-schip Amsterdam – Walk-through replica of an East Indiaman at the museum jetty, offering insights into life on board and the colonial history of the VOC.
• Schaduwen op de Atlantische Oceaan – Contemporary art and personal video stories about the consequences of colonial history in the Atlantic world, then and now.

Founded

1916

Operated by

Stichting Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam

Director

Stephan Alspeer

Visitors per year

approx. 339,171 (2024)

Admission & discounts

Free with the Museumkaart; also with the I amsterdam City Card, Stadspas, VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART, Rembrandtkaart, Nedlloyd museumpas and ICOM. Tickets are dated only (no time slot), can be rebooked, no refunds. The VOC ship is only accessible with a museum ticket. Card/PIN payment only, no American Express. The Museumkaart is available at the ticket desk.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

All exhibitions and facilities can be reached by elevator; on the VOC ship an elevator only goes to the middle deck, the upper deck and hold are not wheelchair-accessible. Loan wheelchairs by reservation; mobility scooters not allowed in the museum (exceptions by arrangement). Accessible restrooms on every floor (east side), museum stools to borrow. Accessible parking spaces directly in front of the entrance (Kattenburgerplein 1) and at Kattenburgergracht 1. Audio tour via the MapMyVisit app, can be paired with hearing aids and is also available as text; Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Suitable for all ages: “Duiker Doris” is a hands-on exhibition for children aged 2 and up, while “Het verhaal van de walvis” (ages 6+) lets visitors explore a walk-in whale. Free junior audio tour and “Kijktocht” scavenger hunt (ages 6+) at the information desk; family program during every school holiday. Strollers allowed, loan buggy available; back-carriers for children are not permitted. Family restrooms with baby changing facilities in the basement and on the second floor, nursing and pumping room.

Getting there & parking

Plenty of bicycle parking in front of the museum. Mooring private boats at the museum jetty is prohibited.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Lockers

Café-restaurant on the Open Plein with water views, also accessible without a ticket (no reservations). Museum shop. Free lockers in the basement; bags larger than A4 are not allowed in the exhibitions. Your own food is allowed on the Open Plein, the jetty and the terrace pontoon.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Halls in the 1656 arsenal and the covered Open Plein for meetings, conferences, receptions, dinners and weddings; guests can arrive by boat, and a floating terrace is available. Events department: +31 20 523 2246, events@hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl.

Plan your visit