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USD $17.00
Jewish Cultural Quarter Self-Guided Tour
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Beautiful synagogues, striking buildings and impressive monuments colour the streets of Amsterdam’s Jewish Cultural Quarter. Stroll through this historic area and visit the Jewish Historical Museum, a leading Dutch cultural institution with an engaging Children's Museum, the remarkable Portuguese Synagogue, the moving National Holocaust Memorial (Hollandsche Schouwburg) and National Holocaust Museum. Five cultural institutions accessible with a single ticket.
Discover the Jewish Cultural Quarter in the heart of Amsterdam. Stunning synagogues, striking buildings and impressive memorials grace the streets of Amsterdam’s old Jewish quarter. In the heart of the neighbourhood, an area of less than one square kilometre, is the Jewish Cultural Quarter, which includes the Jewish Historical Museum with the engaging JHM Children’s Museum, the stately Portuguese Synagogue, the National Holocaust Memorial and the National Holocaust Museum. Here visitors can find out all about Jewish culture, history and traditions – all with just one ticket.
Portuguese Synagogue In the centre of the Jewish Cultural Quarter stands the magnificent Portuguese Synagogue. The building is still used as a house of worship, but it is also open to the public, and concerts are held there regularly. The 17th-century interior is still fully intact and illuminated by hundreds of candles. The other buildings in the complex include treasure chambers where visitors can admire a unique collection of ceremonial objects made of silver, gold, silk and brocade. Jewish Historical Museum Any trip to Amsterdam should include a visit to the Jewish Historical Museum. This museum, housed in four monumental synagogues, offers a unique look at Jewish life in the Netherlands past and present in all its complexity. The museum has a large multimedia collection ranging from paintings to films and from everyday objects to 3D presentations and always offers one or two temporary exhibitions.
JHM Children's Museum Inside the Jewish Historical Museum is another museum, just for children! It is set up as a Jewish family home with six rooms, where children aged 6 to 12 can play games that will teach them about Jewish culture – sometimes seriously and sometimes with humour. Children can bake rolls in the kosher kitchen, learn Hebrew in the study or make music together in the music room.
National Holocaust Memorial During the Second World War, the occupying forces made Jews assemble in this former theatre. Tens of thousands of people were held here, not knowing what fate awaited them, until they were deported to concentration and extermination camps. The Hollandsche Schouwburg is now a memorial site with a wall of names commemorating the Jewish victims. It also holds an exhibition about the Holocaust in the Netherlands.
National Holocaust Museum Through this former teacher training school hundreds of Jewish children, who were held captive in the crèche next door, were smuggled to relatively safe places with the help of the resistance during the Second World War. At this historic site, in the National Holocaust Museum, the story of the Holocaust is told in changing exhibitions and events in an artistic form and based on personal accounts.
This was alright - very different than I imagined and the self guide tour was boring.
Review by: Regina P, July 2017
The self-guided tour was great. It allowed me to see sites at my own pace and it was very educational. There was additional information provided by brochures about the Jewish quarter that also was very helpful. Amsterdam is a beautiful, friendly city that doesn't seem as affected as other european cities by xenophobia and illogical behavior. The price for the ticket was extremely reasonable.
Review by: rlipchik, September 2016
You need to allow for at least 4 hours to see many of the fascinating exhibits. There are three main areas. The cafeteria soup was outstanding.
Review by: Arthur S, April 2016
The tour was very good the only hang up was that the Starting Point of the Tour was not clearly indicated in the documents provided and even the local people near the point did not recognize the address.
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