Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±

Westfries Museum

Top choice


Housed in the former seat of the Staten-College (States' Council), the body that once governed seven towns in Noord-Holland, this absorbing museum has a rich collection of historical paintings – so rich that it was the target of art theft in 2005, when paintings worth €10 million were stolen (five have been recovered, though 19 are still missing, as are 70 pieces of silverware). Fortunately four large group portraits of prominent schutters (civic guards) by Jan A Rotius (1624–66) remain.

The building's 1632 wedding-cake facade bears the coat of arms of Oranje-Nassau, the Dutch-German royal dynasty that the Dutch named as rulers when Napoleon left. Its rear courtyard has a number of curious stone tablets from local facades.


Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Rode Steen

0.02 MILES

Hoorn's heyday as a shipping centre is long gone, but the imposing statue of Jan Peterzoon Coen, founder of the Dutch East India Company, still watches…

2. Hoofdtoren

0.22 MILES

Overshadowing surrounding historic buildings, the massive defensive gate Hoofdtoren (1532), topped by a tiny belfry, now houses an atmospheric restaurant.

3. Museum van de Twintigste Eeuw

0.33 MILES

In the vast former prison on Oostereiland, south of the Hoofdtoren, this entertaining museum is devoted to household goods and modern inventions. Among…

4. Grote Kerk

8.57 MILES

The 15th-century Grote Kerk bears witness to the vagaries of Dutch weather. Its 32 dazzling stained-glass windows bearing coats of arms and historical…

5. Kaasmarkt

8.69 MILES

In the 16th century Willem van Oranje bestowed on Edam the right to hold a Kaasmarkt, which was the town's economic anchor right through to the 1920s. At…

6. Stoommachine Museum

8.7 MILES

Ever wondered what drove the Industrial Revolution? Part of the answer lies at the Stoommachine Museum, in the old pump station outside Medemblik. Thirty…

7. Kaaswaag

8.71 MILES

On the western side of Edam's Kaasmarkt stands the 1778 Kaaswaag, the cheese weigh house, which has a display about the town's chief product.

8. Edams Museum

8.76 MILES

Furnishings, porcelain and silverware spread over three cramped floors of Edam's oldest building, dating from 1540. Its floating cellar is a remarkable…