The museum gives an overview of the history of Amsterdam from the 13th century to the present. Archeological finds, models, silver and gold exhibits, glass, earthenware, porcelain, paintings and prints show how the city grew from a small settlement along the river Amstel into a modern cosmopolitan city. One of the most interesting exhibits is an eighteenth-century coach without wheels. According to council regulations - and to reduce the noise of wheels on the cobble streets - wealthy Amsterdammers had to travel by sleigh, even in summer.  

The entrance fee to the museum also includes free entry to the Civic Guards Gallery, a glass-roofed 'street' between Kalverstraat and the Begijnhof, which is lined with 15 massive portraits of the Amsterdam Civic Guards dating from the seventeenth century.  

The collection of the Museum

The museum is housed in the huge, beautifully restored 17th-century buildings of the former city orphanage. The permanent exhibitions are housed around the complex's inner courtyards where you can also find a restaurant David and Goliath and a delightful terrace under the shade of a giant tree. Few museums in the world have found as many ways to make fairly dry material as population growth and urban development as interesting as the latest electronic board game. 

Gallery by gallery, century by century, you see how a small fishing village became a major world power; you'll also be able to see many of the famous paintings by the "Dutch masters" in the context of their time and place in history. The history of Amsterdam is chronicled, concentrating on the glory of the Golden Age. The museum has a large collection of art and artifacts. From medieval shoes to a 1998 Gay Games rainbow umbrella - it's all at the museum.