Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam
You can now view over 250 Rembrandt etchings inside his former residence and studio. An alternating selection of his etchings is on permanent display in the museum. The collection also includes paintings of his predecessors, contemporaries and students, all offering a remarkable overview of Rembrandt's life and his work.
This house was built in 1607 in the St-Antoniesbreestraat, the original name of this street. The street name was later changed into Jodenbreestraat. In 1639 Rembrandt purchased this house for the sum of 13.000 guilders, which at that time was a large amount of money.
He painted some of his best works whilst living here, including the masterpiece the Nachtwacht (Nightwatch). Although he earned large sums of money, he was unable to pay off the mortgage and was eventually forced to move to a small, rental house. His debts had to be paid off and as a result his entire property was inventoried in 1656. Two years later he was declared bankrupt and the house was put up for auction.
Different families have lived in this house up until the end of the nineteenth century, each making their own alterations. The city council purchased the building in 1907, which was then in a very bad state. They decided to hand it over to a foundation: Stichting Rembrandthuis, who restored the building with a contemporary touch and Queen Wilhelmina the building in 1911.
The foundation also purchased a piece of land next to the Rembrandthuis in the late 1990's. Here they built an extra wing to house two exhibition halls, whilst also restoring the original building. Using old documents they even managed to bring it back to its former 17th century glory. The inventory list, set up when Rembrandt was declared bankrupt in 1656, turned out to be invaluable during this restoration. The list illustrated how the building used to be divided as well as the functions of each of the different rooms. Once the restoration was completed in 1999, the Rembrandthuis could once again open its doors to public.
Address: Jodenbreestraat 4
Postal code: 1011NK
City: Amsterdam
