Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam

Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam

Not every day is noteworthy. Most days just happen, and we go about doing our usual things, trying to keep body and soul together, not forgetting house and garden, cooking, cleaning, shopping, gardening, writing, phoning, without anything special happening. But yesterday was a day to remember. It was very wet and very windy, indeed so much so with strong gusts of wind, that an umbrella was useless. Pelting rain and storm are not unusual this “winter”. But nevertheless my day was special.

Once every so often a friend and I go out for the day, always to a museum, followed by some retail therapy as an antidote after our dosage of culture. Enjoying a nice meal in a restaurant usually marks the end of our day out. If the museum of our choice is in another city or town, we go by train, either meeting half way, or at the museum. This time we wanted to stay closer to home and so decided to visit the ‘Scheepvaartmuseum’, the Maritime Museum, which neither of us had ever visited before! As my forefathers were all seafaring people, from fishermen to licensed pirate, I had to remedy this hiatus. The building, originally the Arsenal, is very interesting in itself, built on an island, on 2,300 foundation piles. Not unusual for Amsterdam, which was completely built on piles. The transformation from Arsenal to Museum is a very interesting story and it is all explained on the excellent website of the museum, a treasure trove of information.

 The Roof inspired by the compass lines on old nautical charts

Replica of the 'Amsterdam'. In the background the copula and towers of the Nicholas basilica. Nicholas is the patron saint of Amsterdam

The museum is far bigger than we expected, with three wings for both regular and changing expositions. All exhibitions are about “water”, specifically about the sea. We could not manage more than two wings, as there was so much to see and to take in. The Golden Age was of course represented because of our fame as a seafaring country, the East India Company trading with countries in the Far East, bringing back spices, silk, china, and many other goods. The ship docked alongside the Maritime Museum is an exact copy of the famous Dutch East Indiaman ‘Amsterdam,’ lost on her maiden voyage in 1749.

 

 Although it was very windy, the place where the ship is docked is a bit sheltered and so we were lucky to be able to go aboard. For in case of bad weather and storm, wind force 5/6 or more, access to the Amsterdam is limited. With wind force 7 or more the ship and quay are closed, for the purpose of the safety of the visitors. There were not many visitors, so perhaps that was why we were allowed on board in spite of the strong winds.

 A battle. Spanish Armada?

 A fleet in times of peace

People drowning. Detail of a painting of a sea battle

The section about the Golden Age has famous paintings of those impressive ships under full sail, in peace and during sea battles, for instance with the English, fighting for supremacy on the seas. My pirate forefather may have been amongst them! There are ships’ models, maps, information about whaling which is also part of our maritime past, and about water management. I had not realised that as far as the Dutch were concerned whaling had gone on far into the 20th century. The emphasis now is on preservation and responsible management of our natural resources and environment, saving the riches of the planet. Our dubitable role in slave trading was also given attention.

There was an amazing photo exhibition about the Arctic, and ‘Rising Tide’, which is supposed to serve as a wake-up call, showing that climate change is an unstoppable force that can only be slowed down. The photos by Kadir van Lohuizen are breath-taking. One which intrigued me was displayed upside down, and I wondered why. Seeing ice floes in the sky is rather unusual. I asked the museum what the purpose was. Apparently, it was the interpretation of the photographer. Does he want to give us a feeling of alienation? For that happened to me. Strangely enough my friend didn’t notice that the photo was displayed upside down.

The upside down photo!

We could not see everything, so we have to go back one day during the summer perhaps. The advantage of the poor weather was that the museum was relatively empty, so that we could study everything at leisure.

 The Royal Barge, built in 1818

A view of the Museum and the 'Amsterdam' from the historical dock

Just after 5 o’clock we walked back in the direction of the train station. The area is very exposed, surrounded by water. On the islands, connected by foot bridges, many new and futuristic buildings have been erected, amongst which the huge Public Library of Amsterdam, as well as the Conservatory, and on an adjoining island the Music Centre.  Finding a spot where we could enjoy a glass of wine and a rather Dutch treat, ‘bitterballen’, wasn’t so easy. But at the back of the Central Station, on the side of the “IJ”, quite a nice area has been developed with restaurants, snack bars, shops etc. Once a seedy and unpleasant place to be, it was now light and very attractive. Besides, we were on the lee side as the wind came from another direction so it was rather nice there. Not needing a big meal after a substantial lunch at the Museum, we had what we wanted, wine and our favourite snacks, with a view of the ferries coming and going, and the new buildings on the other side of the “IJ”.

Finally we said goodbye, a bit awkwardly as handshakes and kisses are forbidden during this Coronavirus scare which is now considered to be a pandemic. We went our separate ways. For me it was train, train and car, for my friend the metro, a tram and a walk.

Whatever the weather, we both had a glorious day!