Amsterdam Museum

The Amsterdam Museum tells the city's story from medieval fishing village to global metropolis, housed in the former civic orphanage between Kalverstraat and the Begijnhof. Founded in 1926 as the Amsterdams Historisch Museum, the collection moved in 1975 into the Burgerweeshuis, a 16th-century brick complex with courtyards that sheltered orphans until 1960. Highlights include the Civic Guard Gallery with its huge militia paintings, free to enter, and a VR installation on the city's expansion. Temporary shows examine slavery, migration and the Golden Age from a present-day angle. While the main building is being renovated, the permanent display runs at the Amstelhof location.