While exploring around the NEMO Museum in Amsterdam, if you walk towards the back like Dann and I did, you will come across a bunch of different historical ships. This is actually Museumhaven Amsterdam – which is a museum harbor of the Amsterdam Museum Harbor Association. There are over 20 historical vessels there, covering a bunch of different boat types, all moored for people to have a look at.
The Museumhaven Amsterdam also has a bunch of different signs that give information on these various ships, which are kept in very good conditions year round. You can read these panels, learning a summary in English about why the ship was built, when it was active sailing, and what it was used for. You can also scan the AR code on the panel to listen to an audio version of the ship’s story.
The aim of these ships its to keep the hustory of Dutch inland shipping alive, keeping them restored and their stories being told so that none of them are lost. Though I am not a big history buff, I really loved the look of all of these old historical ships. There was such a difference from ship to ship, and it was neat learning about why they were that way. Dann knows far more about history than me, and could recognise some of the ships uses based on the way they looked, so we went around taking pictures and talking about the ships, as a sort of free-form walking tour.
The Museumhaven Amsterdam isn’t a ticketed museum, but instead feels like a hidden treasure, a gem that you can find if you pay attention on your walk of the area. If you are interested in history, it is well worth stopping by – but even if you just want to check out cool ships, it’s a lovely location.
You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!
Beautiful boat!!! Living near the coast I get to see several boats.