Everyone has a year in their life that they consider to be their finest. Whether it is the first year after you move out of your parent's house, your last year living there, or maybe your first year of marriage, there exists a time period that each and every one of us looks back to for the rest of their life and irrefutably argues that it was just the best year. For Amsterdam that year is going to be 2013 and the reasons are manifold. The biggie is ofcourse that it is the 400th anniversary of Amsterdam's canals, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and perhaps the biggest and best accomplishment of Dutch city planning. It never ceases to amaze me that the Amsterdam canals have been around longer than many North American metropolises. To celebrate this fantastic anniversary, I highly recommend paying a visit to Het Grachtenhuis, the Museum of Amsterdam's Canals. And maybe taking a canal cruise, but you should really be doing that any year you come to Amsterdam, they're fabulous.
A view of the Reguliersgracht on the corner with the Keizersgracht, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands at dusk. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Another jubilee that Amsterdam is celebrating is the 100th anniversary of the Frans Hals Museum. To commemorate its centenary, the museum is holding a landmark exhibition based around the man after whom the museum is named, Golden Age painter Frans Hals. The works of the artist’s greatest contemporaries, including those by Titian, Rembrandt, Van Dyke, Jordaens and Rubens will be here exhibited while on loan from some of the world’s biggest museums.
2013 is also the year of the end of the reconstruction of the Rijksmuseum, which has been under renovation since 2003. Many of the old interior decorations are being restored, the floors in the courtyards are being removed, in addition to construction of a new layout, new public facilities, and newly landscaped gardens. Originally built in 1876 by P.J.H. Cuypers, the museum is being redesigned by Spanish architects Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz. During the restoration process only about 400 pieces of the original one million piece permanent collection have been displayed in the Rijksmuseum’s temporary exhibit home, the Philips Wing located on the first floor of the building. The re-opening is a big, huge deal for Amsterdam, so make sure to get your tickets way in advance of the April 13th reopening.
The Hermitage Amsterdam, the Dutch branch of the world-renowned original Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, Russia, is having a special year for reasons of its own: 2013 is Netherlands-Russia Year. Personally, I’m a little confused as to what that entails but hey, I’ll have a vodka cocktail for diplomacy's sake, what’s the harm, right? For the Hermitage the celebrations are less vodka-based (at least officially) and more culture-based, with the grand exhibition “Peter the Great” taking place from March 9th to September 13th 2013. Peter the Great had a special connection with Amsterdam because he spent a portion of his life living here (before he got Great), and he acquired some of the first exhibits for the original Hermitage in Amsterdam. In unrelated but equally Great news, Van Gogh’s most iconic works are on display in the Hermitage in a special exhibition entitled “Vincent. The Van Gogh Museum in the Hermitage Amsterdam.” The 40th Anniversary of the Van Gogh Museum as well as its re-opening celebration in May 2013 are yet another reason for celebrations.
These celebrations, as awesome as they sound, are just a flavor of all that is in store for Amsterdam in 2013 and as fun as they are to read about (you’re WELCOME), they are even more fun to be present for in person which is what I highly recommend you do. But don’t do it because I said so. Do it because KLM did.
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