The Golden Age of Amsterdam at Amsterdam Canals Museum

This year, 2013, is the 400th anniversary of the official city of Amsterdam. During that era, Amsterdam was the epicenter of international commerce, map making, science and other cultural developments. This is when the most famous of Amsterdam’s canals were built, thus creating the rainbow-like shape of the city. Now, you can go to the Amsterdam Canals Museum (Canal House/Het Grachtenhuis) to learn more about it and for special occasions, you can even eat there!

I go to a lot of museums and this is quietly and unassumingly one of the finest. You feel a part of the development of Amsterdam with holograms of the original city planning meetings. There are other multimedia effects, too.

In some of the historic rooms, you can rent them out for your event or meetings. Imagine celebrating a Golden anniversary or triumphant business accomplishment in the atmosphere of Amsterdam’s Golden Age! They also can arrange for period entertainment, as well as the servers being dressed in period costume.

They have caterers who recreate the foods of the Golden Age, with an important difference. Nowadays, great chefs pride themselves on using local ingredients, while in olden days, they prided themselves on being able to import foodstuffs from colonies around the world.

I’m very glad to have been hosted to experience it!

Here’s the delectable dinner I had, in a most glamorous setting, lit by candlelight:

Tartar of Dutch new herring with golden renet apple and corn gin jelly

Salad of lobster with King crab claws and samphire

Roast Brandroade beef with poultry pie, artichoke and Opperdoezer-ronde potatoes

Stilton with red port wine stirred through

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