Rijksmuseum facts for kids
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Rijksmuseum at the Museumplein in 2019
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| Established | 19 November 1798 |
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| Location | Museumstraat 1 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
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| Collection size | 1 million objects |
| Visitors | 2,702,824 (2023) |
| Public transit access | Tram: 2  , 5  , 7  , 10  , 12  Bus: 26, 65, 66, 170, 172, 197 |
The Rijksmuseum (say "Rikes-moo-zay-um") is the national museum of the Netherlands. It's all about Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. You can find it on the Museumplein (Museum Square), which is also home to the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
This amazing museum started in The Hague on November 19, 1798. It moved to Amsterdam in 1808. The main building you see today was designed by Pierre Cuypers and first opened in 1885. After a huge ten-year renovation that cost €375 million, the museum reopened in 2013. Queen Beatrix herself reopened it!
The Rijksmuseum quickly became the most visited museum in the Netherlands. It welcomed over 2.2 million visitors in 2013 and 2.47 million in 2014. It's also the largest art museum in the country. Inside, you can explore 8,000 objects of art and history. These come from a massive collection of 1 million items, covering the years 1200 to 2000. You'll see masterpieces by famous artists like Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer. There's even a small collection of Asian art in a special pavilion.
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A Look at the Museum's History
The Rijksmuseum's collection grew over 200 years. It didn't start as a royal collection. In the beginning, it was quite small, fitting into just five rooms in a palace in The Hague. Back then, it didn't even have paintings by some of the most famous Dutch artists. The museum built its collection by buying and receiving donations of art.
How It All Began
In 1795, the Batavian Republic was formed in the Netherlands. A smart finance minister named Isaac Gogel thought the country needed a national museum. He was inspired by the famous The Louvre museum in France. So, on November 19, 1798, the government decided to create the museum.
Moving Around Amsterdam
On May 31, 1800, the National Art Gallery opened in The Hague. It showed about 200 paintings and historical items. In 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte's brother, Louis Bonaparte, became king of Holland. He ordered the museum to move to Amsterdam in 1808. Important paintings from Amsterdam, like The Night Watch by Rembrandt, joined the collection. The museum first opened in the Royal Palace in Amsterdam in 1809.
Later, in 1817, the museum moved to the Trippenhuis. But this building wasn't quite right for a museum. So, in 1820, the historical items moved to the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
Building the Famous Rijksmuseum
In 1863, there was a competition to design a new building for the Rijksmuseum. But none of the designs were good enough. Pierre Cuypers entered this contest and came in second.
In 1876, a new competition was held, and this time Pierre Cuypers won! His design mixed Gothic and renaissance styles. Construction started on October 1, 1876. The building was decorated inside and out with designs that told stories of Dutch art history. The new Rijksmuseum opened its doors on July 13, 1885.
In 1890, another building was added nearby. It was made from pieces of old, demolished buildings. This building, sometimes called the 'fragment building' or 'south wing', shows the history of Dutch architecture. Today, it's known as the Philips Wing.
Modern Changes and Renovations
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Over the years, the museum changed a bit. In 1906, the room for The Night Watch was rebuilt. Between the 1920s and 1950s, some colorful wall decorations were painted over. In the 1960s, new rooms were built inside the two courtyards. The south wing, or Philips Wing, was renovated in 1996. That same year, the museum held its first big photography exhibition.
In December 2003, the main building closed for a huge renovation. While it was closed, about 400 important objects, including The Night Watch, were shown in the Philips Wing. Spanish architects Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz designed the renovation. They brought back many old decorations and removed the floors in the courtyards. The renovation took almost ten years and cost €375 million.
The building was finished on July 16, 2012. In March 2013, the main artworks moved back into the main building. The Night Watch returned to its special room. On April 13, 2013, Queen Beatrix reopened the main building. The Philips Wing reopened in November 2014 with an exhibition about 20th-century photography.
The Amazing Building
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The Rijksmuseum building, designed by Pierre Cuypers, opened in 1885. It has two large squares with open spaces in the middle. A special tunnel runs through the center, with entrances on the ground floor. Above the tunnel, on the first floor, is the famous Gallery of Honour. The building also has a large library.
The Philips Wing shows pieces of old buildings, giving you a peek into Dutch architecture history. The Rijksmuseum is a special national heritage site and was listed among the top 100 Dutch heritage sites in 1990. A modern Asian pavilion, designed by Cruz y Ortiz, opened in 2013. The architects tried to blend the old and new parts of the building seamlessly.
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The Rijksmuseum was located in the Trippenhuis from 1817 to 1885.
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A drawing of the design by Pierre Cuypers from 1876.
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The front of Cuypers' building around 1895.
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The beautiful facade at night.
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The Passage of the Rijksmuseum, which is also a bicycle tunnel.
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The front of the Rijksmuseum in 2024.
What You Can See: The Collection
The Rijksmuseum has a huge collection of 1 million objects. It covers arts, crafts, and history from the years 1200 to 2000. About 8,000 of these objects are on display for visitors to enjoy.
The collection includes over 2,000 paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. You'll see works by famous painters like Jacob van Ruisdael, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen, and Rembrandt.
There's also a special Asian collection in its own pavilion. Some unique items include a royal crest from an old ship called the Royal Charles. You can also see the Hartog plate and an old biplane called the FK35 Bantam.
In 2012, the museum started making high-quality images of its collection available online for free. They called this the Rijksstudio. By 2021, there were 700,000 works available. This means you can download and use these images for your own projects!
Famous Artworks in the Gallery
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Portrait of a Young Couple (1622) by Frans Hals
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Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem (1630) by Rembrandt
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The Meagre Company (1633–37) by Frans Hals and Pieter Codde
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The Night Watch (1642) by Rembrandt
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Banquet at the Crossbowmen’s Guild in Celebration of the Treaty of Münster (1648) by Bartholomeus van der Helst
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The Threatened Swan (around 1650) by Jan Asselijn
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The Milkmaid (around 1657–58) by Johannes Vermeer
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The Jewish Bride (around 1667) by Rembrandt
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Girl in a Blue Dress (1641) by Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck
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Landscape with Waterfall (1660s) by Jacob van Ruisdael
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Shivaji's portrait (1680s) in the Rijksmuseum (1630–80)
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The Battle of Waterloo (1824) by Jan Willem Pieneman
Special Exhibitions to Explore
The Rijksmuseum often hosts special exhibitions that focus on specific artists or historical topics.
Celebrating Rembrandt
In 2019, the museum celebrated the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt's death. They put on an exhibition of all the works by Rembrandt in their collection. This was the first time all 22 paintings, 60 drawings, and over 300 prints were shown together! A highlight was seeing the famous Night Watch right before its planned restoration.
Understanding Slavery in the Dutch Empire
In 2021, the Rijksmuseum presented an important exhibition about the history of slavery in the Dutch colonial empire. It focused on the more than 1.6 million people who were enslaved by Dutch traders. The exhibition covered slavery in places like Suriname, Brazil, the Caribbean, South Africa, and Asia. It showed objects, paintings, and documents, and shared personal stories. The museum also added special labels to 77 paintings and objects in its main collection. These labels explained how these items were connected to the history of slavery.
A Grand Vermeer Show
From February to June 2023, the Rijksmuseum hosted the largest collection of Vermeer paintings ever seen. They displayed 28 of his known 37 works! The curator called it a "once in a lifetime" event. All the tickets for this popular show sold out very quickly.
How Many People Visit?
The Rijksmuseum is a very popular place! In 1975, it had a record 1,412,000 visitors. Before its big renovation, it usually welcomed between 0.9 and 1.3 million people each year.
After the main building reopened in 2013, visitor numbers soared. In just eight months, 2 million people visited! In 2013, it had 2.2 million visitors, and in 2014, it reached an all-time record of 2.47 million visitors. This made it the most visited museum in the Netherlands.
Like many places, the museum had to close for a while during the COVID-19 pandemic from December 2020 to June 2021.
The Museum Library
The Rijksmuseum Research Library is part of the museum. It's the best and largest public art history research library in the Netherlands. It's a great place for anyone wanting to learn more about art.
The Rijks Restaurant
RIJKS® is a restaurant located in the Philips Wing of the museum. It has 140 seats and opened in 2014. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 2017, which means it's known for its excellent food!
See also
In Spanish: Rijksmuseum para niños
- Onze Kunst van Heden – an exhibition held in the winter of 1939 through 1940
- List of largest art museums
