Amsterdam science history walking tourAmsterdam science history walking tourOn this walking tour we will walk the central city and discover Amsterdam hotspots that connect us with great scientific minds of the past. I believe in outreach, bringing science to the people.
We will be able to visit:
Blaeu, and other geography map publishing houses, producing the very best atlases and globes of that day and age.
Bartjens, the mathematics teacher whose school textbook was used for many centuries.
Van der Heijden, the inventor of the fire engine hose pump system.
The scientific knowledge nerve centers: Arti, the Academy of Science, book publishers, university hubs and where they originated.
Houses of individual scientists and authors, Vondel, Bredero.
The guild hall of the surgeons.
Shipbuilding at the shipyards at the wharves, the smell of tar and pitch.
United East India trade center, VOC.
Birthplace of stock and Stock Exchange, early capitalism
Artis Natura Magistra zoo with scientific library.
The hidden hallway of the Amsterdam Historic Museum.
Photo to the left: a tiled mural of Christiaan Huygens in the Leidsestraat.
Maritime Museum / Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam
Below: the Aerial photo shows Amsterdam, North Holland. To the upper left you see the square grid of the Jordaan district, built in the early 17th century for artisans and the poorer souls. Next to it you see the four grand, major tree-lined curving canals: counting from the outside to the inside they are named Prinsen (Princes) gracht, Keizers (Emperors) gracht, then the most important one, the Heren (Gentleman's) gracht and finally the Singel. Thus the order is PKHS, Please Kiss Her Softly-- in Dutch we use the word PaKHuiS (warehouse).
Singel, Amsterdam, november 2013. Multatuli, Hollands greatest author, who wrote the novel Max Havelaar (1860). It gave a scathing description of Dutch colonialism in what is now Indonesia.
In the middle you see the old center with the Dam Square and the New Church. On Dam square stands the Royal Palace originally built as the Town Hall. To the right hand side is the Old Church with the Red Light district and the Rembrandt area. The white horse shoe shape is the combination of Opera and Town Hall, situated on Amstel river. Towards the top, by the harbor you see the large Central Railway Station, totally blocking the view of the harbor. In order to repair this error in 1880's city design, a promenade is now constructed alongside the harbour, reuniting the citizens and visitors of Amsterdam with its widest body of water.
Spotting the Rich & Famous inhabitants in the Golden Age.
Amsterdam, North Holland. Above is the Aerial photo shows Amsterdam, North Holland. To the left you see the square grid of the Jordaan district, built in the early 17th century for artisans and the poorer souls. Next to it you see the four grand, major tree-lined curving canals: counting from the outside to the inside they are named Prinsen (Princes) gracht, Keizers (Emperors) gracht, then the most important one, the Heren (Gentleman's) gracht and finally the Singel. Thus the order is PKHS, Please Kiss Her Softly.
Amsterdam
is the capital of The Netherlands. The beauty of the city center is
the result of many centuries of careful city planning. It boasts the most wonderfully
preserved group of canals and ancient canal houses found anywhere in the world.
In the center we find the headquarters of the United East India Company, pivot
of international trade and source of great wealth in the 17th century. Dutch
painter Rembrandt, prince of painters, and prolific etcher, draughtsman also
made his home here and catered to the wealthy merchants.
A number of important museums including the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum are also located here. A dozen of other museums are well worth visiting, including the Rembrandt house.
On Dam square, from which this town on the Amstel river originally got its name, is the former Town Hall, now Royal Palace. Next to it stands the late mediaeval New Church, now mainly serving as an exhibition hall. A five-minute walk going east takes us to the large Old Church in the middle of the Red Light District.
As a reference manual I use the famous d’Ailly historical handbooks during the Amsterdam walks.
As an art historian based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, I can meet you in Amsterdam for a personalized guided tour of art museums and the historic center.
Together we will experience the beauty and history. Enjoy yourself and learn about history while strolling and discussing the country's history, art and culture. In doing so, we may touch a number of bases - spanning not only fine art and architecture but also the city's history and current social issues. See client testimonials.
Read a biography.
Starting at your hotel I will take you on a wonderful private cultural walking tour of your choice. My guided itinerary offers you accessable informative conversation in English, Dutch, or German (my French and Italian are more limited).
See Amsterdam in 1842 (Map with dots indicating where the high and mighty lived in Amsterdam, in the seventeenth century)
You may also arrange this VIP treatment for business contacts or friends. Our cultural tour organisation office will take care of a unique and memorable experience.
Drs. Kees Kaldenbach is your private "scholar-lecturer on culture tours" *.
*Martha Gellhorn, Travels with Myself and another, p. 182.
Please contact me for time and fees of the tailor-made tour you ar interested in.
These tailor made tours are available upon request - please contact me to book a date. Minimum group size: 1 person. Maximum group size is limited to about 10 persons. With a megaphone I can also manage larger groups on the streets.
Research presented in November 2014 about Mannheimer: he almost bought the best Vermeer: The Art of Painting (now in Vienna)
Photo by Dick Martin.
Visit a large architectural cultural site on Amsterdam at Startamsterdam.com
Endorsements
The Rijksmuseum has done me the honor of linking the main Rijksmuseum site to my website. Start at www.rijksmuseum.nl and select Collection. Then choose 'Digital Collaboration' and the 'Digital Vermeer House'.
I conduct Rembrandt walks in Amsterdam for the Netherlands Bureau of Tourism, London and New York City offices. Their clients include important journalists.
The travel site www.luxurytraveler.com has devoted a main feature to my tours and walks.
Read further client testimonials.
Read a biography.
Drs. Kees Kaldenbach has been featured in television and radio documentaries, including BBC2 TV, NTV Japan, Danish TV and Radio Netherlands World Service. In July 2004 he was interviewed about Delft artists by Tetsuya Tsuruhara for the leading Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun. In 2004 and 2005 he acted in an advisory role to additional BBC teams. Kaldenbach has written extensively on Vermeer and 17th century Delft, on Vincent van Gogh and on other art history topics.
Drs. Kees Kaldenbach is your private "scholar-lecturer on culture tours".
Further information is available on his encyclopedic web site: www.johannesvermeer.info
Contact
information:
Drs. Kees Kaldenbach , kalden@xs4all.nl
Haarlemmermeerstraat 83 hs
1058 JS Amsterdam
The Netherlands
telephone 020 - 669 8119 (from abroad NL +20 - 669 8119)
cell phone 06 - 2868 9775 (from abroad NL +6 - 2868 9775)
Reaction, questions? Read client testimonials.
Open seven days a week.
Member of the VVV Tourist information and the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel).
Email responses and bookings to art historian Drs. Kees Kaldenbach.
This page forms part of the 2000+ item Vermeer web site at www.xs4all.nl/~kalden
Launched April 15, 2006. Updated October 25, 2016.
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