Canal Museum
A bit of History

The Canal Museum opened in 2012 and explores an important part of Amsterdam’s history. However, the building itself is also fascinating—and this is highlighted by the rooms on the ground floor.

The house dates from 1663–1665 and was commissioned by the merchant Karel Gerards. The architect is well known—Philip Vingboons—who created a magnificent residence in the Dutch Baroque style. The key feature here is symmetry.

After Karel Gerards died, the house passed through several owners in the 18th century before coming into the possession of the banker Jan Willink, who helped finance the American War of Independence.

One of the most important rooms is the so-called Andriessen Room. The wall paintings covering all sides depict woodland scenes with people and animals. These murals were created by Jurriaan Andriessen in 1776. However, they were originally intended for a larger room in the building, which is why they don’t quite fit perfectly in places. Following a renovation in the 19th century, everything was adjusted to fit properly.

Fun fact: the ceiling painting, which appears to date from the same period, was actually created in 2022. It is titled Dream of Harmony and was painted by Pascal Amblard.

The other ground-floor rooms

The historic rooms on the ground floor date back to the 17th century and were designed to convey the owner’s status. Accordingly, they are richly decorated. During the renovation in 2010, the original wall panelling was uncovered—and the current design takes its inspiration from this.

If you’d like to learn more about the most important canals, take a look at our canal article!