Amsterdam Architecture Walking: Self-Guided GPS and Adio Tour

Until 1997, a twenty-meter wide cobblestone road crossed Museumplein. Popularly, this road was also called 'the shortest highway in the Netherlands'. The Swedish-Danish landscape architect Sven-Ingvar Andersson was chosen as the designer of the current square. He made a design with two underground parking garages. At the place where the 'shortest highway' split, Andersson designed a rectangular pond.

Lizzy Cottage was built in 1902 by A.W. Weismann and named after the second wife of the owner Engelbertus van Essen. Look at the gold frieze above the bay window. Putti's can be found here. A putti is a chubby child and is mainly found in Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo art.

Since the 16th century, Amsterdam has experienced a flourishing diamond industry. At the end of 1900, more than 700 polishing wheels were in use in Amsterdam. These polishing wheels have been used for famous diamonds such as the Cullinan, the largest diamond ever found, and the Koh-i-Noor. This history of diamonds in Amsterdam makes this city the perfect place for the diamond museum.

We pass the van Gogh museum. The main building was designed by Gerrit Rietveld and opened in 1973. Gerrit Rietveld was an important member of the art group De Stijl. De Stijl was a Dutch art group founded by Theo van Doesburg.

The Municipal Museum opened its doors in 1895. The building is designed by A.W. Weissmann on behalf of the Amsterdam municipal council. The museum is built in a Dutch Renaissance style. In the early 17th century, Hendrick de Keyser played an important role in the development of the "Dutch Renaissance". Characteristics are the tall, narrow townhouses, stepped gables and the use of decorative triangular pediments above doors and windows.

During our walk we pass the Crystal houses. This building is partly made of glass bricks! The building was designed by architectural firms Gietermans and van Dijk and MVRDV in an elegant and modern style. The building is monumental, which means that certain classical elements had to be preserved, such as the terracotta stones.

In 1865 it was immediately clear that the arrival of the Vondelpark was an asset to the city, but stood in the way of further developments in the city. The park made a connection between Nieuw-West and Nieuw-Zuid almost impossible. No one wanted traffic to have to go through the park, so plans were made for a bridge. In 1936, architect Piet Kramer came up with a design for this bridge.

In front of house number 37 you see two gold-colored stones in the sidewalk. These stones were invented by the German artist Gunter Demnig. Gunter Demnig personally lays every stone in front of the houses where the victims lived. Isidor and Renée Drievoet lived in this house. The stones show their names, date of birth, date of deportation, place and date of death.

We walk past the beautiful Zevenlanden houses. The seven different houses represent a journey through the architectural styles of Europe. This is one of the best-known works by architect Tjeerd Kuipers. The houses were built on behalf of Amsterdam's Sam van Eegen in 1894.

We pass the Max Euweplein. This square is named after chess master Max Euwen. Max was the first Dutchman ever to win the world chess title. At the corner of the square you will see a large chessboard. It is certainly not to be missed and is a well-known concept in Amsterdam