With lots of our Amsterdam apartments located
in the picturesque area of Plantage, you’ll be able to visit the magnificent
Hermitage Amsterdam with real ease!
The grand
Hermitage of Amsterdam is a ‘branch office’ of the world-famous museum of
culture and art by the name of State Hermitage located in Saint Petersburg –
the former capital of Russia. At present, it is the largest satellite of the
original Hermitage Museum (there are other two, located in London and Las
Vegas) and welcomes its visitors with over 2,172 square meters of exhibition
area (not counting other facilities available on site) available in the form of
two huge exhibition halls and smaller exhibition rooms. The rest of the space
is taken by lecture rooms, concert halls, staff accommodation, offices and a
restaurant (called Neva) and a lovely inside garden, which in total amounts to
12,846 square meters. The museum offers two permanent collections, one focusing
on the Dutch-Russian relationship over time and the other comes with
interesting details on the history of the Amstelhof building, that is, the
location of Hermitage Amsterdam. There are also temporary exhibitions which
change every six months. Read on and you’ll learn more.
The Place – the story behind
Looking at
the map of Europe you might start asking why did the Russians choose Amsterdam
as their cultural ‘colony’ anyway. To put it in a nutshell, the founder of
Saint Petersburg (and this is also a Dutch name, by the way), tsar Peter the
Great, stayed in Amsterdam while travelling across Western Europe at the end of
the 17th century. He was so impressed by the Dutch architectonic
solutions that he asked them for help in erecting his city, as the area
selected for the construction site was covered with swamps and mud – not much
of an obstacle for the Dutch! This gave a start for a successful commercial cooperation
between the two countries, dating back to the Golden Age and continuing to
date. Legend says that when the original Hermitage was opened in Saint
Petersburg – displaying a lot of works of art brought by the Russians from the
Netherlands, the visitors were offered a free shot of vodka as a form of
enticement.
The
Hermitage first arrived to Amsterdam on 24 February 2004. It opened as
Hermitage Amsterdam in a small building of Amstelhof on Nieuwe Herengracht,
right next to the river of Amstel, sharing space with a retirement home
awaiting to be closed in 2007. Unfit to meet its original purpose, the
institution for the elderly moved to a new property and thus the building could
be completely remodeled, revamped and redeveloped to become suitable for a
place like Hermitage. The result of the extensive works (worth about
40,000,000.00 euro, by the way) allowed to open the whole new museum in 2009,
with the opening ceremony featuring the presence of Queen Beatrix and Dmitry
Medvedev; the former premises of the museum now functions as an education
centre named Hermitage for Children. Since that time, the place has enjoyed big
popularity and an impressive turnover – after all, the collection found inside
is really unique, for it boasts many fantastic works of art rarely known
outside Russia. And to make things clear – all of the splendid exhibits that
appear on display arrive to Amsterdam directly from Saint Petersburg’s ‘parent
company’. Well, maybe not ‘directly’, as they are first carried by trucks to
Finland, then shipped to Germany and transported by land to Amsterdam, but you
get the general idea, right?
Inside the museum – permanent exhibitions
There are
two permanent exhibitions that you can see all year in this fantastic place. Both
of them are found at the front of the building, in the Amstel Wing. One focuses
on the relations between Russia and the Netherlands – and especially on the
‘distant relationship’ between the State Hermitage in Saint Petersburg and
Hermitage Amsterdam, being so far and yet so close at the same time. The other,
in turn, focuses on the history Amstelhof and its original role played for the
city of Amsterdam, both as an institution and as a building; it actually
extends further into the so-called Regents’ Room for Women and the old kitchen,
both reshaped to look as close to their original form as possible, basing on
the recovered documents, plans and old photographs. One thing is for sure – the
sense of history is right there in the air, just as you cross the door of this
magical place.
Russia and the Netherlands – friends through
history
It should
be clear by now that Hermitage Amsterdam wouldn’t ever come to existence if it
hadn’t been for Peter the Great and his affinity for the Dutch capital city and
Nicolaes Wisten, a local burgomaster. Their friendship was much based on the
latter’s expertise in shipbuilding and the former’s keenness on learning from
the best in the industry. There is a book describing the friendship of the two,
next to their portraits. Another case of memorable connection between the two
countries is the story of Anna Pavlovna, the daughter of tsar Paul I and Prince
William of Orange, later King William II. In the section devoted to their
relation you can see busts of both figures and a set of china that Anna was
given on her marriage. Still, the friendship between Ernst Veen and Mikhail
Piotrovsky seems to be the most influential relationship for Hermitage
Amsterdam, as the former formed a group called ‘Friends of the Hermitage’ which
contributed greatly to restoration projects in the State Hermitage in Russia.
There are photographs of the two men to be seen – next to a painting of tsar
Nicholas I, the founder of the Hermitage as a museum, which was opened to the
public in 1852.
Apart from
that, the visitors can take an interactive virtual trip through the State
Hermitage in Saint Petersburg using special film displays and touchscreens – to
feel closer to the source than ever.
Amstelhof – from social care to cultural Mecca
There are
three rooms dedicated to the past of this remarkable building. Its 350-year
history as the Home for Elderly Women run by the Reformed Parish in Amsterdam
can be discovered through some authentic artifacts of the time (most of them
found in the kitchen), paintings, documents and some interesting original items
from the Parish’s collection. Expect to see some authentic historic furniture
and admire the almost-original layout of the place. Dive into the history and
experience life as it used to be back in the 18th and 19th
century.
Inside the museum – temporary exhibitions
All the
temporary exhibitions featured in Hermitage Amsterdam are usually arranged for
six months each. Until recently the visitors were able to admire many of the
masterpieces by the local grandmaster – Vincent Van Gogh. 75 of his works of
art were on display until 25 April 2013, but now the main theme has changed, as
apparently, the year 2013 is a very important one in terms of the relationship
between Russia and the Netherlands. Indeed, this theme of the
‘Netherlands-Russia Year’ seems to be best elaborated on by the highlight of
the museum’s offer for the forthcoming half of year – a splendid exhibition
devoted fully to Peter the Great, the tsar who took Russia to the modern age. A
true man of skill and talent, he went down in history as a great leader, a
modernizer and, simply, as one of the most significant leaders of Russia. The
exhibition entitled ‘Peter the Great, an Inspired Tsar’ (from 9 March to 13
September 2013) will feature many remarkable historical artifacts, amazing
paintings, gold and jewelry from the ancient world, many important documents,
plans and schemes, but also weapons, Peter’s personal suits and one of his
coaches, all of which emphasizing his great inspiration by the Western world.
The exhibition will mostly offer pieces of collection from the State Hermitage
in Saint Petersburg, but additional items from the Netherlands and elsewhere
will also be available.
How to get there and how much is the entry
Hermitage
Amsterdam is located in a picturesque neighborhood of Plantage, reached easily
on foot from the Waterlooplein; you only need to head about 200 meters to the
south and you’ll surely see the characteristic building in a flash. The address
is Amstel 51, just in case. You can also take a tram (line 9 or 14) and leave
at Waterlooplein or take the metro (51, 53 or 54) leaving also at
Waterlooplein; in either of these two cases, continue walking as described
above. There’s also a car park at the Stopera Parking on Waterlooplein 1 (a
white Stopera building; it’s a garage, for that matter).
The ticket prices change with each exhibition,
but usually the prices are €15 for people over 17; younger visitors can enter
free of charge. There are, of course, some special discounts for particular
card holders – learn more at:
www.hermitage.nl/en.
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