Five Fun Facts About the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum is one of those Amsterdam landmarks you might visit because you feel you should — and then discover that it is actually much more entertaining than expected. Behind its impressive walls you'll find masterpieces, strange details, enormous paintings, and enough Dutch history to keep you busy for hours.

Here are five fun facts about Amsterdam's most famous museum.

1. You Can Cycle Straight Through the Building

Yes, really. The Rijksmuseum has a passage running directly through the middle of the building, and cyclists can ride through it. The passage was part of architect Pierre Cuypers' original design when the museum opened in 1885.

It might be the most Amsterdam thing imaginable: priceless Rembrandts upstairs, hundreds of bicycles passing underneath.

1. The Night Watch Is Absolutely Huge

You've probably seen Rembrandt's The Night Watch in books, but photographs don't prepare you for its size. The painting measures roughly 3.8 × 4.5 meters.

And here's another curious detail: the painting used to be even bigger! In 1715, sections were cut from its edges so it could fit into its new location at Amsterdam's Town Hall. Apparently, resizing the wall wasn't the preferred solution.

1. There Are More Than Just Paintings

The Rijksmuseum owns around one million objects, covering centuries of Dutch history and art. Only a fraction can be displayed at any given time.

Besides Rembrandt and Vermeer, you'll encounter furniture, sculptures, ship models, weapons, clothing, ceramics and beautiful dollhouses. You could practically furnish a very eccentric mansion from the collection.

1. The Building Was Controversial

Today, the Rijksmuseum looks like an obvious Amsterdam icon. When it opened, however, not everyone was impressed.

Architect Pierre Cuypers combined Gothic and Renaissance influences, and critics thought the building looked too much like a Catholic cathedral. Even King William III reportedly wasn't enthusiastic about it.

Time has been kinder to Cuypers' creation.

1. The Museum Has Its Own Road Tunnel

That famous bicycle passage isn't merely a hole underneath the museum. Cuypers deliberately designed the building around a public route connecting the city center with the developing neighborhoods to the south.

So when you walk or cycle underneath the Rijksmuseum today, you're experiencing part of the original 19th-century design.

And that's perhaps the best Rijksmuseum fun fact of all: Amsterdam managed to combine a national museum, architectural monument and bicycle route in one building. Very Dutch indeed.