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First a convent, then the city orphanage, now a wonderful museum charting the history of Amsterdam and, in particular, its meteoric rise during the Golden Age (see Amsterdams Historisch Museum).

This world-famous yet movingly simple museum is dedicated to the young diarist who hid here from the Nazis with her family (see Anne Frankhuis).

The 17th-century domestic interiors would be fascinating in themselves, but the astonishing thing about this historic canal house is the secret Catholic church hidden on its upper floors (see Museum Amstelkring).

Completely restored to look as it did in Rembrandt’s day, this handsome red-shuttered house was the artist’s home during his years of prosperity (1639–58). Entering the rooms is a little like stepping into a painting: they are typical Dutch interiors with black-and-white tiled floors, traditional box beds, and paintings by Rembrandt’s contemporaries. Perhaps the two most fascinating sights here are the recreation of his studio, and the room – in a new wing – devoted to his magical etchings, many of which show his compassion for the common people: quacksalver, pancake woman, beggars, street musicians. A video about the recent restoration work is shown in the basement (see Museum Het Rembrandthuis).

Another canal-house-turned-museum, the Van Loon recreates high-society life in the 18th century.

Like the Museum Van Loon, the Willet-Holthuysen affords a rare glimpse inside a grand canal house – and into the lives of the wealthy merchants who lived there. Built in 1685, the interior is decorated in 18th- century style. A mild sense of melancholy pervades the building(see Museum Willet-Holthuysen).

Holding the largest collection of boats in the world, and crammed with fascinating objects, the Nederlands Scheepvaart became a museum in 1973, when the Dutch Navy vacated the building. Solid and four-square, Daniel Stalpaert’s imposing classical-style arsenal was built for the Admiralty in 1656 during the Golden Age of Dutch maritime history. Among the museum’s treasures are weapons, paintings and meticulously accurate models (see Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum). The museum will be closed for renovation from late 2007 until 2009.

The world’s greatest collection of 17th-century Dutch art is housed in this grand municipal art museum – and there’s so much more to see besides (see Rijksmuseum).

At time of writing, the national museum of modern art, in its specially designed building by A W Weissman, is closed for major renovation work – it is due to reopen in 2008. Until then, part of its dynamic collection, which includes works by Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, Mondriaan, de Kooning and Gerrit Rietveld, will be displayed in temporary exhibitions at the old TPG Post building, Oosterdokskade 3 (see Stedelijk Museum).

The permanent home for hundreds of works by this troubled artist also displays work by his contemporaries(see Van Gogh Museum).