Saturday 12 June 2010

Museum Van Loon (Amsterdam)

[Post published by Liviu on Liviu's [in Netherlands] Blog]


Intro: After having visited 2 other old & classic Amsterdam houses, i.e. both Museums Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis and Willet-Holthuysen, it was time to visit Museum Van Loon.

4th of June: a very sunny and quite hot day. Indeed, unusual weather for Amsterdam.


Museum Van Loon (Amsterdam)
Admission: free for Museumkaart holders. Feel free to check the detailed price list.
Although there aren't any lockers at the entrance, the assistant you give you a number and will store your things in their office, which is very fine.
Pictures are allowed, but, as always, no flash - make sure your memory card is empty, 'cause you shall need all the space.


My opinion on Museum Van Loon (Amsterdam)

It's a very nice museum: plenty of things to see; the garden is nice, too but quite small - check out the huge tree in the garden! The coach house cannot be visited for the moment, since they need to refurbish it first.

The museum is supposed to have been refurbished, but I've noticed cracks in the walls and ceiling, around the doors etc. I do not mind, in fact I really like it since it preserves the old atmosphere in my opinion, just that I've noticed this now because the other 2 old houses did not have any such cracks. I suppose Van Loon has been refurbished a long time ago or something.

The rooms at the ground floor: very nice.
On November 1st, 2005, Queen Beatrix and the Prince of Orange offered a lunch in the Red Drawing Room to both Russian President Valdimir Putin and his wife. Cool, eh?

The kitchen: very cool.
Also, at the basement there's a room where they play continuously a 10 minute video staring the last member of the Van Loon family who talks about the house.

The bedrooms at the first floor: very cool, especially those secret doors :D (No, visitors have no access there, but they are mentioned in the description and you can see them as they are obvious.)

There's also a second floor, they say, to which visitors don't have access - that floor accommodated the servants and access was done through some narrow and steep stairs, they say. Awesome!



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Conclusions

I recommend you visit Van Loon Museum (Amsterdam); it's worth the time and money.
I recommend you visit all 3 museums, therefore all these 3 old & classic Amsterdam houses, i.e. Van Loon, Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis and Willet-Holthuysen.

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