Every year, thousands of visitors travel through 400 years of history in the museum’s permanent, multimedia exhibition. The Museum of the Canals thereby fills a gap in the narration of Amsterdam’s history: not only is it a place where the story of the canals is shared in an accessible way, the building itself also acts as a portal to directly experiencing the canal district for yourself.
Amsterdam has one of the most distinct city centers in the world. The city’s unique urban design has not lost any of its beauty or efficiency throughout the centuries. It is world-class heritage, something that UNESCO acknowledged by designating it a World Heritage Site in 2010.

The Herengracht 386 – located on the canals – is the perfect venue for the Museum of the Canals. Philips Vingboons, a renowned Dutch architect, designed the building with its impressive facade. The beautiful period rooms on the first floor have been restored with craftsmanship and original techniques. Learn more about the building here.