10 Unique Dutch Museums
These 10 unique Dutch museums show how creative and unabashed the Dutch are when creating shrines to subjects that may seem offbeat, overly narrow in scope or somewhat taboo in many peoples eyes.
10 UNIQUE DUTCH MUSEUMS…
SEX MUSEUM
The Sex Museum Amsterdam is a small, rather unassuming museum located in a Dutch canal house on the Rokin. It is not hard to tell what this museum focuses on, which may be too risque for many people. But in 2019 it had over a half million visitors, putting it on par with the renown Mauritshuis in The Hague which is home to hundreds of priceless artworks including the iconic ‘Girl With A Pearl Earring’ painting.
HOUSEBOAT MUSEUM
Another seemingly odd topic upon which to establish a museum, but not so strange when it comes to Amsterdam and the Netherlands in general. There are estimated to be some 10,000 houseboats in use throughout the country of which about one quarter are in Amsterdam. The Houseboat Museum is moored on the Prinsengracht canal at Elandsgracht.
MARIJUANA MUSEUM
No where in the world could there be a more appropriate location for a museum that honors the history of marijuana than Amsterdam, home of the iconic Bulldog Cafe! The Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum is located in the city center inside an atmospheric Dutch canal house south of the Red Light District.
TULIP MUSEUM
The tulip is perhaps the only flower in the world that is commonly associated with one specific country, namely the Netherlands. Although tulips were not native to Holland, the Dutch managed to build an entire industry out of their production. The small quirky Amsterdam Tulip Museum highlights how the country and the flower came together to form an inseparable relationship.
WINDMILL MUSEUM
You won’t find a windmill museum in too many countries, but then again those countries are not the Netherlands. And we don’t have just one, but several windmill museums, located inside actual windmills built hundreds of years ago. You can find these unique Dutch museums in Zaanse Schans , Kinderdijk , Schermerhorn and Leiden just to name a few.
BICYCLE MUSEUM
A museum dedicated to just bikes would seem strange somewhere else, but it makes sense for the Netherlands. The Nationale Fietsmuseum in Nijmegen is housed in the monumental Velorama building on the Waal river. The museum has on display its collection of antique unicycles, bicycles, tricycles and quadracycles from both Holland and abroad.
WOODEN SHOES MUSEUM
While a footwear museum is hardly uncommon, one which is dedicated entirely to wooden shoes is. Yet this one makes sense considering the association between Holland and clogs. The International Klopenmuseum in Eelde has on show rare antique wooden footwear made in Holland and other countries such as Denmark, France and Germany.
MUSIC CLOCK MUSEUM
The Museum Speelklok in Utrecht is dedicated entirely to self-playing musical devices! The invention of the carillon in the 1500’s (which automated the playing of church bell music), led to the introduction of music-playing clocks, boxes and street organs (quite popular in Holland). Classic and over-the-top antique self-playing musical devices are well-represented in this unique Dutch museum.
ELECTRONIC MUSIC MUSEUM
If you were not aware, the Dutch have become leaders in the field of electronic dance music. The Netherlands has produced such world renown DJ’s as Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix, Hardwell, Afrojack and Tiesto. So if there is going to be a museum specifically for electronic music, it makes sense it would be in Holland. The Our House museum is located in Amsterdam.
CANAL MUSEUM
Although canals in general may seem too narrow a focus upon which to open a museum, it works in the context of Amsterdam. The city’s iconic canal rings are world renown, having been constructed way back in the 1600’s during the ‘Dutch Golden Age’. The Grachtenmuseum tells the story of the incredible engineering feat.
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