Tropical Museum

This museum is one of Amsterdam hidden treasures. Located off city centre in a beautiful old building in East Amsterdam (Amsterdam Oost), Tropenmuseum often remains forgotten, like an old collection of post stamps. However, if you are interested in other cultures, other countries and distant lands - do no miss it. Tropenmuseum exhibit is modern, fascinating on many levels and inspiring. Moreover - a great museum to visit with kids, it is like a journey to all exotic.

Tropenmuseum has been created in 1864 in Haarlem, as the Colonial Museum and later (1910) moved to Amsterdam. After 1949, when a Dutch colony of Indonesia (former Dutch East Indies) became independent, the Museum became part of the Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, researching the life in distant countries, not necessarily primitive cultures – simply different, than a Western tradition.

The show is divided by continents. It begins with South America and through Africa reaches Asia and the Antilles on the first floor. Additionally, on the ground floor, there is an exhibition on Man & Environment and to the left from the entry Tropenmuseum Junior – a separate part of the museum dedicated for children, but aimed at mainly at Dutch schools, less at the young international guests.

The whole museum is divided into many smaller exhibits – each of them unique and modern in its presentation with the use of multimedia, light, sound, even smell and often beautiful decors. However the main value of the Tropenmuseum is its collection. The exhibited objects have unique historical and esthetical value. Each of the exhibits is like a journey through a mysterious, exotic territory.