Inside the 1656 Admiralty storehouse on Kattenburg, rainwater cisterns, ship supplies and a modern compass-inspired glass roof reveal how Amsterdam equipped its fleet. The museum connects maritime skill with the labor, conflict and colonial violence behind ocean travel.
Quick facts
Daniel Stalpaert’s ’s Lands Zeemagazijn opened in 1656 with vaulted cisterns beneath its courtyard that collected about 40,000 litres of rainwater for ships.
The museum has occupied the former Admiralty storehouse since 1972 and was officially opened there by Princess Beatrix on 13 April 1973.
The replica East Indiaman Amsterdam was begun in 1985 as an employment project and has been moored at the museum since 1991.
Get directions to Het Scheepvaartmuseum. Confirm the visitor entrance and current access with the venue before travelling.
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Guide
Het Scheepvaartmuseum occupies a building designed for work rather than display. Its original name, ’s Lands Zeemagazijn, means the state’s sea warehouse. Amsterdam architect Daniel Stalpaert designed it for the Admiralty of Amsterdam, which stored equipment for the Republic’s war fleet here. The museum opened in 1656 on Kattenburg, one of the eastern harbor islands created for shipyards, warehouses and homes as the city expanded.
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