Page 29 iGap Travel Guide 2022
P. 29
iGap Travel Guide | Europe
29
FOR ART LOVERS…
FOR HISTORY BUFFS…
SEE REMBRANDT’S MASTERPIECE AT THE RIJKSMUSEUM
BE INSPIRED BY THE DUTCH RESISTANCE MUSEUM
The Rijksmuseum was closed in 2003 for a 10 year,
€375 million renovation. Reopened by Queen
Beatrix in April 2013, the newly revitalised museum
displays 8,000 works of art and history from its vast
collection of a million items, some of which date
back to the 11th century. A small collection of Asian
art and 400 masterpieces from the 17th century
Dutch Golden Age are on display, including works
by Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer and Jan Steen.
However, the undeniable centrepiece is Rembrandt’s
world-renowned
The Night Watch
(pictured, right),
which displays incredibly effective use of light and
shadow and the perception of motion in what would
have traditionally been a static military portrait.
A visit to the Rijksmuseum provides a fascinating
insight into both Dutch history and the country’s
remarkable artistic achievements, and the museum
can reliably claim to be the pride of Amsterdam.
If the Rijksmuseum represents the pride of Amsterdam,
then the Dutch Resistance Museum represents the
pride of the Netherlands. Charting the different forms
of resistance to the five-year Nazi occupation of the
country, the museum takes visitors back in time to the
1940s by using authentic films, photos, sounds and
documents to evoke the climate of the war years.
A range of anti-Nazi activities are covered, ranging
from strikes, document forgery and underground
newspaper publishing to armed resistance and
espionage. Detailed attention is paid to the context of
everyday life and the importance of the church, whilst
a separate section tells the story of the Dutch East
Indies, a former colony which suffered greatly under
the reign of Japanese terror.
The theme of dilemmas is also present throughout the museum, with visitors experiencing first-hand the
consequences of the heart-wrenching decisions that many Dutch citizens had to make during the occupation.
The shock of the German invasion, the crushing oppression of the war years and the heroic struggle to oppose
the regime are all well documented in this fitting tribute to the bravery of the Dutch resistance movement.
Image credit: Rijksmuseum
Image credit: The Washington Post
29
FOR ART LOVERS…
FOR HISTORY BUFFS…
SEE REMBRANDT’S MASTERPIECE AT THE RIJKSMUSEUM
BE INSPIRED BY THE DUTCH RESISTANCE MUSEUM
The Rijksmuseum was closed in 2003 for a 10 year,
€375 million renovation. Reopened by Queen
Beatrix in April 2013, the newly revitalised museum
displays 8,000 works of art and history from its vast
collection of a million items, some of which date
back to the 11th century. A small collection of Asian
art and 400 masterpieces from the 17th century
Dutch Golden Age are on display, including works
by Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer and Jan Steen.
However, the undeniable centrepiece is Rembrandt’s
world-renowned
The Night Watch
(pictured, right),
which displays incredibly effective use of light and
shadow and the perception of motion in what would
have traditionally been a static military portrait.
A visit to the Rijksmuseum provides a fascinating
insight into both Dutch history and the country’s
remarkable artistic achievements, and the museum
can reliably claim to be the pride of Amsterdam.
If the Rijksmuseum represents the pride of Amsterdam,
then the Dutch Resistance Museum represents the
pride of the Netherlands. Charting the different forms
of resistance to the five-year Nazi occupation of the
country, the museum takes visitors back in time to the
1940s by using authentic films, photos, sounds and
documents to evoke the climate of the war years.
A range of anti-Nazi activities are covered, ranging
from strikes, document forgery and underground
newspaper publishing to armed resistance and
espionage. Detailed attention is paid to the context of
everyday life and the importance of the church, whilst
a separate section tells the story of the Dutch East
Indies, a former colony which suffered greatly under
the reign of Japanese terror.
The theme of dilemmas is also present throughout the museum, with visitors experiencing first-hand the
consequences of the heart-wrenching decisions that many Dutch citizens had to make during the occupation.
The shock of the German invasion, the crushing oppression of the war years and the heroic struggle to oppose
the regime are all well documented in this fitting tribute to the bravery of the Dutch resistance movement.
Image credit: Rijksmuseum
Image credit: The Washington Post
