Amsterdam Museum Night 2012: diary

When in Amsterdam....Museum Night is when 50 museums are open to 2am. After a good home cooked dinner with friends we mounted our bikes and headed off to experience Amsterdam museums by night. Here is is our diary of the night.


Museumnacht Amsterdam 2012 Day After Movie from Stichting n8 on Vimeo.


Het Grachtenhuis (The Canal House): Message in a bottle.

The Canal house is a private funded museum located in the heart of Amsterdam's world heritage listed canals. The museum has a small exhibition on how the grand canals of Amsterdam were built. This year it was also the location to sign up for the Museumnacht canal cruise.

We skipped the long line and decided to write a message to the Mayor in a bottle. Our suggestion was that Amsterdam city bring back the large free concerts on the Dam Square.

Message in a bottle to the Mayor of Amsterdam


Arti et Amicitiae is an closed Amsterdam art-society founded in 1839.

The society created an art in the dark exhibition. Visitors were given a simple bike light to view art. Dancing robots, photography and installations were brought alive with small lights. The large black ball in a small room was a highlight. Visitors could push the ball around like a reverse jumping castle. Fun. In the wonderful bar of the 19th century building we listened to poetry readings and enjoyed a beer.

Black fun ball in a black room. Art in the Dark at Arti et Amicitiae


Oudekerk (Amsterdam's Old Church) presents Rocket Cinema

The Gothic style church hosted old black and white Gothic movies from the late 1920s and 30s. The church, located in the middle of the Red Light District was filled with a Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack composed by a local artist. The organ concert was chilling. A wonderful little mobile cinema was also parked inside. The piccolo cinema had room enough for two.

Oudekerk Museumnacht 2012


Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Amsterdam's Our Lord in the Attic)

Amsterdam's oldest museum is a hidden Catholic church in a 17 century canal house.There was no special exhibition but to spend time in the hidden church while the rain came and went outside was a religious experience.

Hidden Catholic church Museumnacht 2012


De Apple Arts Centre

The Apple is a internationally orientated arts centre. Since 1975 it has been a place to research, explore and present contemporary art.

Museum night was the end of the Apple Centre's "Vote Back" exhibition.



The political exhibition highlights were the Geert Wilders Webshop and political Karaoke. We had great fun being Martin Luther King, Obama and Margret Thatcher. One of our group was considered the best Thatcher of the night and walked away with a free t-shirt with political patterns.

Politic Karaoke, Apple Arts Centre


Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum)

Amsterdam's Resistance Museum sometimes sits in the shadow of the Anne Frank House but it is the premiere World War II museum.



For museum night a special exhibition of WWII propaganda cartoons called "(Anti) Hero:  Captain America". Comics and cartoons were dusted off and brought to the museum hall.



The old Donald Duck cartoons of the famous duck taking on the Nazis was a rare insight into the war years of the 1940s. The rock band was also great with people jigging and jiving the night away.

WWII American Jeep with the Museumnacht light


On the way home we finished with the Portuguese Synagogue for a moment of peace underneath the 700 natural candles.

As always the event was a great local night. A big hearty thank you  and thumbs up to all those involved in organizing Amsterdam's Museumnacht 2012. See you next year.

Amsterdam Museumnacht 2012 gets a big thumbs up.


When in Amsterdam...enjoy!








When in Amsterdam... - Blogged

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