IV.

Cultural Life

A vibrant, cosmopolitan city, Amsterdam has been an important center of European cultural life since the 17th century. Among the influential figures who lived or worked in the city are the painters Rembrandt and Jacob van Ruisdael, the writers Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Gerbrand Bredero, and Joost van den Vondel, the composer Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (nicknamed the Orpheus of Amsterdam), and the philosophers Baruch Spinoza and René Descartes, whose major works were often first published in Amsterdam. The German scientist Gabriel Fahrenheit also invented and manufactured scientific instruments in the city. In the 20th century the art movements De Stijl and Cobra were centered in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam’s world-famous cultural institutions include the National Academy of Art and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. Its Rijksmuseum contains one of the largest collections of Dutch and Flemish paintings in the world, and its Stedelijk Museum has an extensive collection of modern works. The Van Gogh Museum includes about 800 works by 19th-century painter Vincent van Gogh. The Amsterdam home of Rembrandt is now a popular museum. The Concertgebouw, completed in 1883, is the home of Amsterdam's renowned orchestra.

Amsterdam has numerous examples of 16th- and 17th-century architecture, including many colorful gabled homes lining the canals. Within the city are two historic churches: Oude Kerk (Old Church), built about 1300, and Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), built in the 15th century. The royal palace, originally built in the 17th century as the town hall, stands on a large square in the center of the city. Other points of interest include the Amsterdam Historical Museum, the Museum of the Tropics, the Anne Frank House, and NEMO, an interactive science and technology museum oriented toward young people.

Many students live in Amsterdam and attend one of its two universities. The Universiteit van Amsterdam (University of Amsterdam), founded in 1632, is the largest center of learning in The Netherlands. The Vrije Universiteit (Free University), founded as a Calvinist school in 1880, is also in the city.