Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
One of Europe's most important museums of painting and decorative arts, which ranks with the Louvre and the Hermitage, is Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. This is the largest collection of art and history in the Netherlands. Although the museum houses an internationally renowned collection of paintings of the 17th century Dutch Republic - the Golden Age - it also houses excellent collections of prints, drawings silver, delftware, Dutch history and Asian art. The museum is so large that it requires 5 separate departments to care for its 7 million individual pieces. Rembrandt, van Ruisdael, van Heemskerck, Frans Hals, Paulus Potter, Jan Steen, Vermeer, de Hooch, Terborch, and Gerard Dou are also represented in this magnificent museum, as are Fra Angelico, Tiepolo, Goya, Rubens, Van Dyck, and later Dutch artists of The Hague school and the Amsterdam impressionist movement.

The museum opened in 1798 as the National Art Gallery in The Hague. But steady growth required a series of moves, until it finally arrived at its present location in 1885. Even now, remodeling has necessitated that much of the museum be closed to allow for further expansion and modernization.

Website www.rijksmuseum.nl