Cycle Tour

A new book with a cycle tour along the highlights of the Amsterdam School, also in English.

New buildings and districts sprouted up all over Amsterdam in the early 20th century, earning the city a worldwide reputation as a mecca for public housing. Many of these buildings were constructed by housing associations, whose idealistic aim was to develop high-quality housing that would improve the lives of the working class. The architects of the Amsterdam School were masters in this field, superb craftsmen of architectural forms who used art to perfect their designs. They collaborated with renowned Dutch artists to create magnificent works of art. This tour will take you to some of those works, which are out on the streets of Amsterdam for all to see, but which you would otherwise probably never notice. It is presented as a bicycle tour but can also be used as a walking route.

The tour provides insight into the Amsterdam School and its sources of inspiration. In this booklet, the Amsterdam School is viewed as a broad movement with predecessors and successors. You will find information here about the architects, but also about the many artists with whom they worked. Your attention will be also directed to works by the pioneers of Dutch architecture and public housing who paved the way for the Amsterdam School, such as Pierre Cuypers, Hendrik Petrus Berlage, and J.E. van der Pek, each of whom was highly innovative in his own way.

Amsterdam is a big city, and the architects of the Amsterdam School left their mark on many parts of it. Not only did they have a tremendous influence on the districts built between the world wars (sometimes called the Ring ‘20-'40), but their work can also be found in the centre and the 19th-century canal belt. Because it takes quite a while to visit all the buildings worth seeing, this tour has been divided into six routes. You can start and stop anywhere you choose.

Some people cycle more quickly than others, and of course, as you explore Amsterdam you will run into numerous cafés, restaurants, and lunchrooms. The complete tour, including a visit to Museum Het Schip, can easily take a full day. If you prefer, you can follow just one of the six routes and save the rest for another time. This is certainly advisable if you will be walking rather than cycling.

 

The publication marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of F.M Wibaut, former alderman of Amstetrdam.
Photography Floris Leeuwenberg, winner World Press Photo Award

On the waves of the city, an Amsterdam school tour

Museum het Schip
ISBN/EAN: 978-90-814397-2-5 (English)

You can order at Museum Het Schip. To order: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sponsors: De Alliantie, De Key, Eigen Haard, Stadgenoot, Amsterdamse Federatie van Woningcorporaties, Gemeente Amsterdam, Stadsdeel De Baarsjes, Stadsdeel Westerpark and 150 Jaar Wibaut.

Authors; Lieneke Poelman (Alliantie), Alice Roegholt, Ton Heijdra and Vladimir Stissi.
Photographer:  Floris Leeuwenberg, winner Word Press foto and Zilveren Camera
Design: Barlock (Judith Brüggenwirth) The Hague