Hermitage, Amsterdam

3 more images

The Amsterdam Hermitage is a branch of the famous State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg housed in the Amstelhof building dating from 1683 as a home for the elderly in need of care (initially only for women, but also for men from 1719). It stayed a nursing home till 1999 and in 2004 the Amsterdam branch opened in the Neerlandia building.

In the Spring of 2009 the Museum reopened after completion of phase 2 of the reconstruction.

Admission: € 15.00 (Adult)

Visiting hours:
Daily: 10AM - 5PM

3 more images

The long historic relationship between Russia and The Netherlands dates to 1697-8 when tsar Peter the Great (I) visited Amsterdam as part of a European tour and interested in learning about the city's maritime supremacy. He had already selected a swampy site to be the future Russian capitol, St. Peterburg now, and was so impressed with how Amsterdam had adopted and adapted to a similar topography imported Dutch engineers to advise on construction. Close relationships have continued since, with the exception of the Stalinist years, with multiple marriages between the royal families. Two of Russia's national soccer teams were coached by Dutchmen.
The massive Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg houses over 3 million works of art with perhaps 5% on display at any one time. Three " dependencies" were set up outside Russia to further display some of the treasures - Las Vegas, London, and the largest in Amsterdam. By Russian law, art treasures can only leave the country for six months, so there are two different exhibits per year.

The museum is housed in Amstelhof, a former nursing home first founded in 1683 for up to 400 women ( men would be admitted in the early 19th C ) through a bequeathment by Barent Helleman, a wealthy merchant. Fronting the Amstel River, the classical sytle brick facade measured over 100 meters, the longest in the city at the time. The central grand entrance was a requirement for prestigious buildings at the time, but was and remain faux. The museum entrance is below the staircase leading to the raised door through the former service entrance (Ossenpoort).
Despite innumerable expansions and renovations, the nursing home was totally outdated by the early 2000s and was reconstructed as a modern museum in 2007-9 with large display bright display rooms and long corridors, wide open and spacious - perfect for viewing great art. Of course, a restaurant and museum store are given lots of space as well, seemingly a bit out of proportion. The Hermitage is a well thought out display venue, a pleasure to visit. Even the bathrooms are ultramodern in style ( Image 3 ).

Our visit coincided with an exhibit of famous Impressionist works featuring all the important names of the period, with informative wall mounted descriptions and analysis. An excellent audio guide can also be rented for those with a particular interest in the current exhibit.

Image 2 - The Pool at Montgeron is by Monet, painted as a series for a rich Paris department store owner and financial supporter of the Impressionists, Ernest Hoschede, and sold to Ivan Morozov, a Russian textile manufacturer, in 1907, eventually left to the Hermitage.

4 more images

“He came incognito, with very few followers, spent a week at Krimpenburg, in the house of a blacksmith, of the name of Boij Thijsen, and then went to Amsterdam, where his great Embassy had arrived. He was seven feet high, wore the dress of the peasants of Zaandam, worked in the admiralty dockyard, and is a great admirer of shipbuilding.”
— from the Records of the Lutheran community at Zaandam about the visit of Tsar Peter the Great, traveling as Peter Mihailof with his noisy comrades

When a wealthy merchant, Barent Helleman, died on 18.October.1680, he left his entire fortune, 90,000 guilders, to the Diaconie Oude Vrouwen Huys (Deanery Home for Old Women), which decided to use the windfall to build a home for old women. The city donated land along the River Amstel for the building. The likely architect was Hans Jansz van Petersom.

After a sixteen-month construction schedule the Amstelhof, a reference first made in 1953, was ready to house 400 women. Eligibility for a residence were such that a woman had to be at least 50 years of age, a member of the Dutch Reformed Church for not less than ten years and a 15-year long city resident.

At the center of the classically symmetrical building plan of the Amstelhof is a huge courtyard. The church hall, which also served as a refectory, was at the front of the structure. The Amstelhof’s governors and governesses met in boardrooms located at the corners.

In the late twentieth century it was clear that Amstelhof could no longer meet the standards of modern-day care for the elderly. New facilities were built and a new purpose for Amstelhof was found: since June 2009 the location has been home to Hermitage Amsterdam

4 more images

“We are in the Netherlands, in the town of Amsterdam, and by the mercy of God, and by your prayers, are alive and in good health, and, following the divine command given to our forefather Adam, we are hard at work. What we do is not from any need, but for the sake of learning navigation, so that, having mastered it thoroughly, we can, when we return, be victors over the enemies of Jesus Christ, and liberators of the Christians who live under them, which I shall not cease to wish for until my latest breath.”
— from a letter written by Tsar Peter the Great to Patriarch of Moscow, 19.September.1697

Peter the Great (1672-1725) has a special connection with the Netherlands. When he came to power in 1696 he saw the need to modernize Russia. He looked to Western Europe as his model. The Dutch Republic was Europe’s leading power; it was Holland’s Golden Age. The Tsar was employed, incognito, as a ship’s carpenter; he insisted that he be treated as the other men working on the docks of the Dutch East Indies Company. Today, Amsterdam has another connection with Russia, the Hermitage Amsterdam.

The Deanery Home for Old Women (see photo #2) façade extended along the River Amstel for 335 feet, the city’s widest façade in 1683. Since June 2009, Hermitage Amsterdam has been housed in the former Deanery, which was built for 90,000 guilders, a bequest from Barent Helleman, a wealthy merchant, in 1680.

Surrounded by Russian Orthodox icons (see photo #5), we felt as if we had returned to Tsar Peter’s capital, St. Petersburg.

1 more image

The Hermitage is the Dutch branch of the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. The entrante is located on the front of the building along the Amstel and the centurias long closed courtyard is open for everyone. The building also houses a study centre. Visitors of the exhibitions can find information about the history of Russia and St Peterburg.

El Hermitage es la rama holandesa del Hermitage de San Petersburgo. La puerta de entrada se encuentra en la parte frontal del edificio a lo largo del rio Amstel y el largo patio cerrado está abierto para todos. El edificio también alberga un centro de estudios. Los visitantes de las exposiciones se pueden encontrar información sobre la historia de Rusia y San Petersburgo.

3 more images

We took a canal boat ride and one of the stops was at the Hermitage Museum. We had seen quite a few museums during our last visit to Amsterdam. This was the only one was went to this time. There was an exhibit of Alexander the Great which was pretty good and interesting. It will be on preview here from September 2010 to March 2011. This exhibit focuses on his journey to the East and the influence of Hellenism.
Admission was 15 euro for adults, children up to 16 years are free. Their hours are from 10am to 5pm and til 8pm on Wednesdays.
We couldnt take pictures inside the museum,and there was definitely alot of security so we only took pictures outside.
We didnt do the audio tour which is available in different languages for 3 euro more.

4 more images

The Hermitage Amsterdam has recently expanded and the new Phase 2 is open. Originally a home for the care of the elderly, in 2004 the Amsterdam branch opened in the Neerlandia building at Waterlooplein. A ten minute tram ride from Centraal Station got me there and its a couple of minutes walk from the Waterlooplein stop next to Magure Brug (Skinny bridge).

Opening June 2009, "At The Russian Court" is an exhibition of more than 1,800 treasures from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. From the moment you enter this building the oppulence and splendour of the Russian treasures are clearly seen in a costume hall of court costumes. I loved this museum, the exhibitions were impressive, well placed and if you have an interest in art treasures or Russia you will love it here. No photography unfortunately (a particular hate of mine in museums) which lets it down a little, but I didn't have any problems with a few surupticious photos with a small camera.

Admission
Adults: € 15
Children up to 16: free
I Amsterdam Card free

The whole hermitage will be open now from 20 june. so guess i need to go again

open 10:00 - 17:00 uur and on wednesday till 20:00 uur.
it is closed on 25 december, 1 januari and 30 april.

Admission
Adults: € 15,–
Children up to 16: free
I Amsterdam Card free

The Amsterdam Hermitage is in a restored 17th-century building.
It will open with a exhibition of more than 1,800 treasures from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.
So thats better then the last time i was there with a vt meeting there was only a small part open with pictures of ST petersburg.

The Hermitage Amsterdam is housed in the Amstelhof built in 1681-1683 as a home for the elderly in need of care. The building is a fine example of monumental classicist architecture in Amsterdam. It is a branch of the State Hermitage museum of St-Petersburg.
Presently, until 16/09/2007, the Hermitage Amsterdam shows a collection of Persian works of art. There are 200 pieces covering the whole of Persian history from antiquity to the end of the Qajar dynasty (1785-1925).
The exhibition is divided into 6 galleries: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Art of Writing and Painting, Pottery and Metal, Fragile Glass and Textiles, the Qajars.

I must say that this exhibition was a deception for me. I hope that the Hermitage in St-Petersburg has better things to show.

From 13/10/2007 to 5/05/2008 will be on display a collection of Art Nouveau.

Open: each day 10 - 17 h.
Price: 7€
No photos allowed.
Warning: There were some "strange birds" in the back of the museum towards the Waterlooplein Metro station. Police was controlling them.

The Hermitage Amsterdam opened its doors on February 28th, 2004. It is situated in the Amstelhof building, which was built in 1681-1683 as a home for elderly in need of care (initially only for women, but also for men from 1719) and has remained in use as a nursing home to this day. However due to various renovations in the 19th and 20th centuries, little is left of the original interior layout of Amstelhof.
By the end of 2007 the entire Amstelhof building will be in use by the Hermitage Amsterdam, with a total floor space of over 4,000 m², as now there is only abt. 500 square metres of exhibition space.
Small temporary exhibitions drawn from the rich collection of The State Hermitage Museum of St Petersburg will be presented here.
For the inaugural exhibition was chosen for the Greek Gold. The 2nd exhibition was Nicholas & Alexandra followed by VENEZIA! Art of the 18th century. The 4th exhibition was: PILGRIM Treasures (Byzantium-Jerusalem) and the last one was: Silver wonders from the East.
The present exhibition Collector's in St. Petersburg is till March 11th, 2007.
Next exhibition: Persia (30/03/07 till 16/09/07).