Canal House Museum

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Amsterdam’s Canal Museum, or ‘Het Grachtenhuis’, opened in to the public in April 2011, and documents the history behind Amsterdam’s canal rings, developed during the Dutch Golden Age. The museum is housed in an extravagant 17th century townhouse, overlooking the Herengracht canal, and was originally built for wealthy businessman - Karel Gerards.

For centuries, this beautiful home passed hands between many wealthy Dutch bankers and businessmen, before being purchased in 2009 and transformed to the present day museum. The Canal House Museum presents the historic construction of Amsterdam’s charming canal network, for which the city is famous for. These canal rings, or ‘grachtengorde’ as the Dutch would say, have played a significant part in Amsterdam’s urban development. The museum documents the history behind these 400 year old passageways, from the construction of the city’s main canals – Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht and Herengracht, and the smaller routes that branch off, to form a 100km water network.

Strolling round the Amsterdam Canal Museum, visitors can admire the beautiful interior of this magnificent house, which stands 16 metres wide, and presents a beautiful décor of 17th century pillars, wall paintings and original flooring. Miniature models of the canal houses can be admired, in addition to a large model of Amsterdam’s canal structure, to appreciate the extensive canal configuration from an aerial view.

The Amsterdam canal Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Adult admission costs €8, children from 6-18 years are charged €4, with children aged 0-5 years receiving free admission. The museum is in a great central location, and easily accessible from many Amsterdam apartments and Amsterdam canal boat rentals situated along the canals. Travelling to the museum, visitors can take the number 1, 2 or 5 tram to Koningsplein.