Netherlands Museums

The Netherlands, also is known as Holland, is a country in Western Europe. The Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing maritime borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

“Netherlands” literally means “lower countries,” with only about 50% of its land exceeding one meter above sea level.

The five largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Eindhoven.

Amsterdam is the country’s capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government.

A Virtual Tour of Museums in the Netherlands

Museums in and around Amsterdam
- Rijksmuseum
- Van Gogh Museum
- Frans Hals Museum
Museums in The Hague
- Mauritshuis
Kröller-Müller Museum

Highlights Tour of Museums in the Netherlands

Museums in and around Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital and the largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Amsterdam’s name derives from Amstelredamme, linking the city’s origins around a dam in the river Amstel.

Starting as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century), as a result of its innovative developments in trade.

During that time, the city was the leading center for finance. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum is the Dutch National Museum dedicated to arts and history. The Rijksmuseum was founded in The Hague in 1800. It moved to Amsterdam in 1808, where it was first located in the Royal Palace and later in the Trippenhuis.

The museum has a collection of 1 million objects from the years 1200–2000, among which are masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer.

The Rijksmuseum is the largest and most visited art museum in the Netherlands. In addition to centuries of Dutch art and history, the museum has significant outdoor gardens and a superb restaurant.

Van Gogh Museum

The Van Gogh Museum is dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

The museum’s collection is the most extensive collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings in the world.

Frans Hals Museum

The Frans Hals Museum is a museum located in Haarlem, just outside of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1862, the museum today is split into two locations.

The Frans Hals Museum with two locations: Hof (located on Groot Heiligland) and Hal (located on Grote Markt).

The primary collection includes its famous Frans Hals paintings, plus over 100 artworks seized from Catholic churches in the 1580s after the Protestant Reformation, and Haarlem art rescued from demolished local buildings from the 15th century onwards.

Museums in The Hague

The Hague is the third-largest city in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and in the top 15 cities, in population terms, in the European Union.

The Hague is the seat of the cabinet of the Netherlands, the States-General, the Supreme Court, and the Council of State.

The Hague hosts over 150 international organizations in the city, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

The Hague one of the major cities hosting the United Nations, along with New York City, Geneva, Vienna, Rome, and Nairobi.

Mauritshuis

The Mauritshuis houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings, which consists of 841 objects, mostly Dutch Golden Age paintings.

The collection has works by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter, Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, Hans Holbein the Younger, and others.

The 17th-century building is listed in the top 100 Dutch heritage sites.

Kröller-Müller Museum

The Kröller-Müller Museum is a national art museum and sculpture garden, located in Otterlo in the Netherlands.

The museum, founded in 1938 by art collector Helene Kröller-Müller within the grounds of her former estate, which is now a national park.

It houses the second-largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh, after the Van Gogh Museum.

The museum’s collection includes works by Vincent van Gogh, Piet Mondrian, Georges-Pierre Seurat, Georges Braque, Paul Gauguin, Lucas Cranach, and Pablo Picasso.