Rembrandthuis (Rembrandt House)

Background information

I thought that one by one I might start to post information about different museums I have visited here in the Netherlands.

I do not know how many of you are museum freaks, but I am definitely one of them. You can either use the information here to decide if you want to visit the particular museum or no, or you can simply have a short tour around the museum through my blog if you do not manage to get yourself to the Netherlands. :)

Practicalities. Most of the museums I visit have free entrance if you have got Museumkaart, therefore I will not write about the entrance fees and other similar stuff (plus, you can check it on their websites yourself). It will be just my own personal opinion about the museums I have been to.

And the first museum...

So the first honour goes to Rembrandthuis (Rembrandt House) here in Amsterdam which I visited on Saturday. The museum is located in the building where the painter Rembrandt was living for more than 20 years.

I would say that the museum is interesting for two kinds of people - first, those who love art (and unfortunately I am not one of them) and second, those who love memorial houses in old times (and I belong here). Rembrandthuis is a mixture of both as you can see not only a lot of paintings, but also the way house was looking when he was living there back in 17th century.

Once you enter the museum, you also get a free audio guide in around six languages, which is a great option because it provides more information about the rooms and Rembrandt's life. I skipped some of the points but mostly I was listening with a great interest. In the weekend twice a day they have also guided tours (including in the entrance fee), but unfortunately I did not know about it and entered too late, so missed one. I always opt for tours, because that's more interesting than listening to the guide or walking on your own - and you have the chance to ask specific questions you might have. Oh, and I can't forget mentioning different demonstrations they have - e.g., there was a woman explaining how Rembrandt used to mix colours and put them on the painting.

It took around an hour to go through the house without rushing too much and without looking at each picture for a long time. As it was Saturday afternoon, it was quite crowded. The staircases and rooms are small, so sometimes you need to wait a bit before most of the people get out of the room and you can take a look.

Two good things - first, they have temporary exhibitions every now and then, which adds extra value. Second, you can take pictures (without flash), which is important for me :)

Conclusion - recommended if you like art or memorial houses, or you are simply Rembrandt's an. Otherwise do not bother, because it's pretty much like most of the memorial houses, dedicated to certain persons.