Okay I must admit, my ulterior motive for going to this little museum was the carriage house garden. Did someone say garden?

A local tip

We found about this rather small off the beaten path museum from our boat captain when we went on an evening canal tour of Amsterdam. Captain Jan shared plenty of Amsterdam history on this tour and then suggested a few not on the tourist map sites such as the Van Loon Museum.

He explained that this home has been preserved the way it was when the wealthy merchants of Amsterdam used to live in the early 17th century. To be honest, that didn’t interest me, but then he went on to say “They have a lovely courtyard garden that’s beautiful.” Did he say Garden? In the city? Now we HAD to check it out 🪴.

Van Loon Museum

Museum Van Loon is located in the heart of Amsterdam’s canal belt, a beautiful house from 1672. The first resident was the painter Ferdinand Bol, who was a pupil of Rembrandt. The interior of the house still depicts the wealth that the city experienced at that time with portraits, original furniture, silverware and opulent chandeliers.

The Carriage House

The Carriage House is a beautiful structure built in the back of the main house that was used to house the carriage, horses and footmen. The front of the carriage house faced the main house, while the back of the carriage house faced the back street where the carriage could come in and get stored.

The carriage house was large enough to store the carriage and had room for the footmen and driver to stay during the working hours until their shift ended.

A unique feature that I found interesting is that the carriage house was even more ornate than the main home.

The Courtyard Garden. Soothing Green on Green

The garden is laid out in the style of the 17th century courtyard and is closed off by the wall of the coach house.  Here a palette of soothing green with splashes of white flowers and dotted with pale yellow roses give the garden a serene atmosphere, perfect to sit with a cup of tea.

A little history of the Dutch sundial

The sundial found in the garden is a Dutch sundial used in the 17th century to tell time. Dating back to 1681, this astronomical instrument is believed to be a joint star and sundial for finding local time and was invented by Anthony Sneewins, an instrument maker from Delft, Holland. The position of the vane gives an indication of the Sun’s altitude and thus the local solar time.

A delightful respite and a stroll in the garden

If you’re looking for a relaxing respite from the usual Amsterdam attractions, check out Van Loon Museum and relax in the garden of this charming home.

The Van Loon Museum Amsterdam