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Making your own flag

Making your own flag

You will encounter many flags on ships. The artists of Sites of Memory play with these flags in Decoding the Atlantic World, now also on display in Het Scheepvaartmuseum. With animals, flowers and the colors red, black and green, they tell a different story with their flags. You too will get to work on the Open Courtyard: how do you make a flag 'your story'? You can take the drawing home with you; the flag continues to flutter in the Open Courtyard! From 11.00 - 15.00 on walk-in and for all ages.

Toddler program at Doris the diver

Toddler program at Doris the diver

Come to the sea! The sun shines. It's nice and warm. You hear how the seagulls screech and how the sand flows with the sea. Can you feel the shells under your feet and the wind in your hair? Move like an octopus, work like a sailor and dance like a kite. Are you coming to the sea? At 10.30 am upon registration in the museum itself, age: 2 - 5 years.

Photography Workshop

Photography Workshop

Photography workshop for the whole family - In the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum) you will find many portraits. Paintings, sculptures, but also photos. How do you take a good portrait photo? Discover it with the whole family, get started and create a beautiful portrait. 3, 2, 1 CLICK! 11.30 and 14.30 on registration, from 6 years.

Coloring DIY-Plate Sea Monsters

Coloring DIY-Plate Sea Monsters

What a special sea monsters you see here! But wait, there's a head missing, a tail missing... Will you make these sea monsters whole again? A sweet monster or a very angry one. Use your imagination, everything is possible and everything is allowed! You can pick up the color DIY plate in the café-restaurant and it is from 2 years old.

Viewing tour portraits

Viewing tour portraits

You will discover a lot of people in the museum! Not only around you, but also in paintings and photos. How long can you sit still while being painted? And does that man look angry or sad? You can see a lot in a portrait. Go out together and discover it all! From 6 years.

Junior audiotour

Junior audiotour

Do you want to know who killed Michiel de Ruyter? What was there to eat on board a VOC ship? And why it is not so smart to hunt whales? You hear it all in the junior audio tour!

Stories in word, movement, image and music. There is always something to do in the museum and on the East Indiaman (VOC ship) Amsterdam!

Sing and dance along to the songs of WIES; thoughts about both the big questions in life and the little things that preoccupy a young adult.

Visit the new exhibition Man at Sea / Mens op Zee, this photo exhibition shows a multifaceted maritime world in which portraits and stories show how being at sea can change you as a person. Mens op Zee shows how you relate to yourself, others, the ship and the sea on the water, touching on larger themes such as gender, inclusion and migration.

In addition to the exhibition, there is an oral history project about gay, bi- and trans crew members aboard Dutch merchant ships in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Aynouk Tan, Bob van der Poll and Thorn de Vries will discuss LGBTI+ at sea and the importance of safe spaces in society.

Discover BABS! She is a rapper, producer and songwriter with a mission. She cannot be categorized and likes to kick against the stereotypes about gender and sexuality that are imposed by society.

Immortalize yourself in the workshop Portraits with Seawater. What happens to your portrait when the elements play with it?

Listen to the first memoirs of people at sea. Seasickness, homesickness and shipwrecks are reviewed, but the longing for the sea (sea fever) is also discussed in the speed library lecture De Eerste Zeereis.

Immortalize yourself with your Museum Night crew and have your picture taken together. Then treat yourself and your friends to the tastiest snacks and drinks from our Captains Kitchen!

On Neighbors Day, on Saturday 24 September, we offer neighbors free access with the code Burendag2022*. And a free cup of coffee is available especially for our first 50 visitors.

On the Open Courtyard, families can get to work with colorful animal flags from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM: which animal represents you or your family? This way you will also find out why a few new flags are flying on the VOC ship the Amsterdam… And of course you can visit the entire museum for free! View the current exhibitions.

*Free entrance on Saturday September 24, 2022 for a maximum of 2 people per order. During your visit, bring something on which your zip code 1018 is visable. You can reserve tickets online, or report it at the box office in the museum.

Photo exhibition Humans at Sea: this autumn at the National Maritime Museum

Photo exhibition Humans at Sea: this autumn at the National Maritime Museum

From 7 October 2022 to 2 July 2023, the National Maritime Museum and Dutch National Portrait Gallery present Humans at Sea: a photo exhibition about the diverse maritime world in which inspiring, poignant and unpredictable portraits and stories convey the profound impact of a life at sea.

New photography exhibition Humans at Sea

New photography exhibition Humans at Sea

From 7 October 2022 until 2 July 2023, the National Maritime Museum and Dutch National Portrait Gallery present Humans at Sea, a photography exhibition about the broad, divergent maritime world in which amazing, stimulating and moving portraits and stories show how a life at sea can change people. 

That's why we invite you to a delicious (free) heri heri meal on our Open Square.
Eating together, remembering together, celebrating together.

Heri heri is a one-pot dish of cassava, sweet potato, green and yellow bananas, fried salty fish (cod) and an egg. Today heri is heri a dish that culturally connects people to their ancestors and thus to history. Note: while stocks last.

On the same day, the museum also opens Decoding the Atlantic, an art installation by Sites of Memory and artists Raul Ballay and Jarrett Erasmus, focusing on the history of slavery and maritime codes.

Are you coming too?

This summer, the National Maritime Museum is filled with fun. Haven't booked your holidays yet? No problem! We look forward to celebrate the holidays with you in the center of Amsterdam. Every day there’s a ton of fun activities for families with children. Climb aboard to go plastic fishing, create your own flag on the Open Courtyard or discover the museum with our kids-guide. We hope to see you soon! 

Plastic fishing with Plastic Whale (7+)

Plastic fishing with Plastic Whale (7+)

Every Tuesday and Sunday, children (aged 7+) and their parents can join a boat trip with Plastic Whale, the world's first professional plastic fishing company! Step aboard the Plastic Whale boat from the jetty and go plastic fishing in the canals around the museum. Come and lend a hand! For more information on Plastic Whale and what happens to the plastic after collecting, go to www.plasticwhale.org. Every Tuesday and Sunday until 28 August, from 1pm to 3pm.

Crafting-activity (all ages)

Crafting-activity (all ages)

Ships often go hand in hand with flags. Artists Jarrett Erasmus and Raúl Balai use flags as a source of inspiration for their work. Their flags – made from elements such as animals, flowers and the colours red, yellow and green – each tell a unique story. At the museum’s Open Square you too can get creative: how to turn your own story into a flag? Daily from 9 July to 4 September, 11am to 5pm.

Kids-guide: East, West, on a quest! (6+)

Kids-guide: East, West, on a quest! (6+)

Embark on a journey through the building following the wind directions. Throughout the museum you will find objects that tell stories, sometimes even multiple. Answer the questions and solve the puzzle. Where will your journey take you? East, west, or back home? When you're done, fold your guide into a boat to get a chance to win a fun prize! Taking place daily during the entire summer.

Pride at the National Maritime Museum

Pride at the National Maritime Museum

At the National Maritime Museum, we believe that everyone should feel at home, regardless of who you love or who you are. From 30 July to 7 August, the summer holiday programme is all about Pride.

The tale of the whale

The tale of the whale

The exhibition 'The tale of the whale' explores how our relation with the whale has changed throughout the centuries. You will learn about the whale-hunt and how this has turned the whale into an endangered species.

Climb aboard the East-Indiaman ‘Amsterdam’

Climb aboard the East-Indiaman ‘Amsterdam’

Climb aboard the East-Indiaman ‘Amsterdam’ and experience what an East-India Company ship used to look like on the inside: hoist sails, visit the captain's cabin, and swing in the hammocks. On this ship, you also learn about the flipside of colonial times. Open daily from 10am to 5pm.
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