Amsterdam Jodenbuurt And Plantage

What the Jodenbuurt and Plantage may lack in nightlife, they more than make up for in museums. This neighborhood has one of the highest concentrations of museums in the city, and almost all of them are worth a visit. The Dutch Resistance Museum, close to the Artis Zoo, is a particularly engaging but sometimes overlooked museum. The Rembrandt House, where Rembrandt van Rijn painted many of his most famous masterpieces, and the Jewish Historical Museum, which chronicles the history of Jewish life in Amsterdam, are perennial favorites.

Joods Historisch Museum (Jewish Historical Museum). In the heart of Amsterdam’s traditional Jewish neighborhood, the Joods Historisch Museum aims to celebrate Dutch Jewry’s rich cultural and historical legacy. The complex links together four different 17th- and 18th-century Ashkenazi synagogues with glass and steel connections, symbolically—and architecturally—bridging past and present. Through exhibits by Jewish artists and galleries of historically significant Judaica, the museum presents the Netherlands’s most comprehensive picture of Jewish life—photographs, religious artifacts, texts, artwork, and traditional clothing comprise the permanent collection, accompanied by interactive video monitors that screen film clips and interviews. The excellent children’s wing is geared toward educating younger visitors about kosher cooking, Jewish music and art, and the Hebrew alphabet. Some of the more notable artifacts include an ornately embroidered 18th-century Torah mantle and a Holy Ark holding silver Torah shields. The museum makes an effort to examine the present state of Jewish culture in the Netherlands and describes various aspects of Jewish culture, holidays, and foods. Temporary exhibits change every three to four months. (Jonas Daniel Meijerplein 2-4 at Waterlooplein. Tram #9 to Waterlooplein; museum is near the northwestern corner. ☎531 0310; www.jhm.nl. Open M-W and F-Su 11am-5pm, Th 11am-9pm; closed on Yom Kippur. Free audio tour. €7.50, seniors and ISIC holders €4.50, ages 13-17 €3, under 13 free.)

Museum Het Rembrandt. Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn’s house at Waterlooplein, which he bought for an astronomical sum in 1639, was sold off by creditors (along with his possessions) in 1658 after Rembrandt failed to pay his mortgage. Fortunately, 350 years later, the building has become the happy home of the artist’s impressive collection of 250 etchings. Travel through all four levels of the beautifully restored house—you’ll see the studio in which he mentored promising painters; the room where he stored his “art cabinet” full of coral, marble busts, armor and butterflies; and the kitchen in which his mistress is said to have attacked him as they quarreled over alimony. In the upstairs studio, Rembrandt produced some of his most important works. It is rumored that he painted the masterpiece Night Watch in the courtyard and rolled the completed project up to fit it out the windows. On display are some of his tools and plates, including an original pot he used to mix paint. Every 45min. on the third floor, artisans reenact the paint-making and printing techniques of his time. The museum contains several impressive paintings by Rembrandt’s contemporaries, including works by Pieter Lastman, one of the master’s teachers. Enthusiasts should also stop at Rozengracht 184, in the Jordaan, where Rembrandt lived out his life after his eviction. (Jodenbreestraat 4, at the corner of Oude Schans. Tram #9 or 14 to Waterlooplein, then head northeast across Mr. Visserplein to Jodenbreestraat. ☎520 0400; www.rembrandthuis.nl. Open daily 10am-5pm. €8, students with ISIC €5.50, ages 6-15 €1.50, under 6 free.)

Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum) . Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940 and, after destroying the port city of Rotterdam with heavy bombing, overran the small nation in only five days. Initially, Dutch authorities cooperated with Germany, and the Nazis treated the Dutch relatively leniently. But, as time went on, the occupation grew harsher—especially for Jews, gays, and gypsies—and resistance increased. The Resistance Museum uses a wide variety of media and presentations to illustrate life under the Nazi occupation and the steps the Dutch took to oppose the German forces. Displays allow visitors to track the occupation and resistance chronologically, ending with an enlightening exhibit on post-war Dutch regeneration. Model streets, buildings, and tape-recorded radio reports recreate the experience, from smuggling food to issuing counter-propaganda on a printing press. The museum tries to keep the daily lives of average citizens in the forefront of the exhibitions. The Verzetsmuseum is housed in the historic Plancius Building, originally built in 1876 as the social club for a Jewish choir. (Plantage Kerklaan 61. Tram #6, 9, or 14 to Plantage Kerklaan. ☎620 2535; www.verzetsmuseum.org. Open M and Sa-Su noon-5pm, Tu-F 10am-5pm, public holidays noon-5pm. €5.50, ages 7-15 €3, under 7 free. Tour of neighborhood available by phone or email appointment; €9 per person.)

Scheepvaartmuseum (Maritime Museum) . For lovers of the sea, the vast Scheepvaartmuseum—one of the largest museums of its kind in the world—left no shell unturned in its exploration of the Netherlands’s storied seafaring history. Unfortunately for them, the museum will be closed until mid-2009 while it undergoes major renovations. However, plenty of attractions still sit outside the museum on the Oosterdok. While the museum is closed, the full-sized replica of the Dutch East Indian ship Amsterdam remains open; it has been moved over to the other side of the NEMO science center. On Wednesdays at 1 and 3pm and Sundays at 11am, 1, and 3pm, actors stage historical reenactments of life on board this ship. The Vereniging Museumhaven Amsterdam, a collection of 18 antique boats, lies along the boardwalk between NEMO and the Scheepvaartmuseum. While visitors cannot board these turn-of-the-century vessels, placards explaining the history of each are posted on the docks. Access is free to the wandering passerby. (Kattenburgerplein 1. From Centraal Station, follow signs past NEMO for about 10min. or bus #22 or 32 to Scheepvaartmuseum. ☎523 2222; www.scheepvaartmuseum.nl. Ship Amsterdam open in summer M 10am-5pm, Tu-Su 10am-5pm. €4, when combined with a NEMO ticket €2, under 3 free.)

Tropenmuseum (Museum Of The Tropics) . The Tropenmuseum takes guests on an anthropological tour of Oceania, South Asia, the Near East, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Sponsored by the KIT (Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen; Dutch Royal Institute of the Tropics), the museum is situated in a massive, arched-dome building slotted with skylights. Take the elevator up to the second floor and wend your way down through the enormous world tour of ancient artifacts, contemporary objects, and religious pieces. The museum has some extraordinary pieces in its collection, ranging from folk-art portraits of Nelson Mandela to film footage of masked ceremonial dancing in the early 1930s. The first floor is mostly devoted to the dubious history of Dutch colonial expansion in Indonesia, and many of the works on display here were obtained by “explorers” (read: conquerors). On the top floor, the museum attempts more contemporary ethnographic studies, from depictions of life on the streets in Turkey and video footage of the Argentine national soccer team. The museum has a special emphasis on former Dutch colonies, including numerous exhibits describing the Netherlands’s relationship with native peoples. (Linnaeusstraat 2. Tram #9 and bus #22 stop right outside the museum. ☎568 8200; www.tropenmuseum.nl. Open daily 10am-5pm. €7.50, students and seniors €6, ages 6-17 €4, under 6 free. Family ticket (1-2 adults and max. 4 children) €20.)

The museum is also home to the celebrated Tropenmuseum Junior. Open only to children between six and 12 and those accompanying them, the Tropenmuseum Junior tries to provide something for the wee folk to enjoy. Rotating exhibitions combine video footage, music, computer technology, and models to create simulations of real environments, including narrow Indian streets, South American traditional medicine shops, and a Middle Eastern bazaar. (☎568 8233; www.tropenmuseumjunior.nl. Ages 6-12 €4.50. Special programs in Dutch only; reservations must be made 2 weeks in advance.)

Nemo (New Metropolis) . If you’ve tired of static museum exhibits (or if your children are), make your way over to this interactive, educational, and creative exploration center where, miraculously, science is fun! Geared toward children ages six through 16 and their accompanying adults, the massive green building spans four stories and is littered with science exhibits just begging to be poked at, jumped on, and experimented with. The provocative and thoughtfully designed displays at NEMO include permanent fixtures like “Why the World Works,” “Machine Park,” and “Bamboo House.” A massive robotic girl describes the fundamentals of electricity, and the entertaining “Chain Reactions” show is held three times per day on the first floor. Depending on your age, “TEEN Facts” may be able to deliver some pertinent information on sex or body hair, and for the more mature crowd, “Future Fuel” looks closely at where the world is headed in terms of energy consumption. Don’t miss the spectacular view of the shipyard and the historic city offered by the museum; on the eastern side of the building, a staircase traverses the structure’s slanted roof. (Oosterdok 2. East of Centraal Station on the Oosterdok. ☎531 3233; www.e-nemo.nl. Open Tu-Su 10am-5pm. €11.50, under 4 free.)

Nationaal Vakbondsmuseum “De Burcht” (National Trade Union Museum “The Fortress”) . “The Fortress” is a small museum that both documents the trade-union crusade of Jewish diamond worker Henri Polak and hosts rotating and permanent labor rights exhibits. (But it does not include English translations; a detailed printout of the museum’s collection is available at the reception desk.) The building, designed by the famous socialist “community-style” artist Hendrik Petrus Berlage, was the original headquarters for the Algemene Nederlandse Diamantbewerkersbond, the diamond workers’ union. Polak wanted the building to be a monument to the workers’ struggle, so the design was meant to fit into the populist and socialist underpinnings of trade unionism. Several paintings depicting aspects of Dutch social history are on display as part of the museum’s permanent collection. When the eight-hour workday was introduced in 1912, socialist painter Richard Holst created a triptych for the building’s board room showing that the day must be divided into three equal parts: work, relaxation, and sleep. On the way out, you’ll see the gardens in front of many houses on Henri Polaklaan; at the turn of the century, many of the wealthier Jews in the union moved here and built homes behind what continue to be Amsterdam’s only front yards. (Henri Polaklaan 9. Tram #9 to Artis Zoo. ☎624 1166; www.deburcht.org. Open Tu-F 11am-5pm, Su 1-5pm. €2.30, ages 13-18 and trade unionists €1.15.)