Amsterdams Historisch Museum
Everything you would like to know about the history of Amsterdam is on display in the Amsterdams Historisch Museum (Amsterdam Historical Museum). Their permanent collection shows you how the Dutch capital has developed since the 13th century. This collection consists of a large number of paintings, pictures and models of buildings. These objects show how Amsterdam started out as a small town in the Middle Ages and how it has grown out into a large European capital.
The museum is located in a building that used to be an orphanage, which was called the 'Burgerweeshuis'. The former gates to the orphanage, in the Kalverstraat and the St Luciënsteeg, are now used as an entrance to the museum. Behind the gates you will find the courtyards and the 'Schuttersgalerij', which you can visit for free. These are a number of historical militia paintings that are so large, that they had to be hung especially in this alleyway.
