Museum Square

The Museumplein is a square and city park in the Amsterdam-Zuid district, just south of Amsterdam-Centrum. It is named after the Rijksmuseum, which opened in 1885 and is located on the square. The Stedelijk Museum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Concertgebouw are also situated at the Museumplein.

The vacant land behind the Rijksmuseum building hosted the World's Fair of 1883, followed by the World Exhibition for the Hotel and Travel Industry in 1885.

The area was used as Amsterdam's ice skating rink during the winter. A number of international all-round championships were held on this 400-meter track at the end of the 19th century, including the first unofficial world championships in 1889 and the first official world championships in 1893, with Jaap Eden as the winner. Until 1940, the Amsterdam Ice Club was located on the site.

Over the decades, Amsterdammers and tourists have used the square daily for recreation and relaxation. Before the war, the area was colloquially known as the Ice Club grounds. Even now, the grassy areas invite people to play football, frisbee, and have picnics, while under the plane trees and around the basketball court, pétanque has been played for at least four decades. Since the last redesign, there has been a halfpipe that is widely used.

Since 1999, there has been a pond near the Rijksmuseum with terraces on both sides and a museum shop. Tourists use the square to rest from their cultural outings and as a meeting place for the bus parked somewhere under the square. Since the redesign of the square in 1999, it no longer serves the traffic function it once did, with only a few bike paths running through it.

In addition to its ordinary daily functions, the square is used for many manifestations and events (mass demonstrations, Uitmarkt, King's Day). In the 1970s and 1980s, the Museumplein was transformed into the Boulevard of broken dreams, now called De Parade. On November 21, 1981, one of the largest demonstrations in Dutch history took place at the Museumplein: 420,000 people demonstrated at the initiative of, among others, the Interchurch Peace Council against the deployment of new nuclear weapons in Europe. At least twice a year, the Museumplein serves as the stage for 50 artists who present themselves in a temporary museum during Art Square Amsterdam.

Wandeloverzicht