The national collection moved four times before it found this home.
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The Rijksmuseum did not start in Amsterdam. It opened in 1800 in a palace in The Hague, moved into the Royal Palace on Dam Square, and then into a merchant's house that was far too small.
In 1798 the young Batavian Republic decided to found a national museum. On 31 May 1800 the National Art Gallery opened in Huis ten Bosch, a palace in The Hague, with about 200 paintings and objects from the collection of the stadholders. In 1805 it moved to the Buitenhof, also in The Hague. In 1808 King Louis Napoleon, brother of Napoleon, moved the collection to his new capital, Amsterdam. It opened in 1809 on the top floor of the Royal Palace on Dam Square, the old Town Hall. There the city added its own treasures, including The Night Watch. In 1817 the museum moved to the Trippenhuis, a canal palace on the Kloveniersburgwal. It was much too small, and in 1885 the collection finally moved into Cuypers' new building.
Six things to look for. Works sometimes move, so ask at the desk.
The very first painting the new national museum bought, for 100 guilders. A swan spreads its wings to defend its nest.
Usually in the Gallery of Honour, second floorThe palace where it all began in 1800. Today it is a royal home, so you see it from the outside only.
The HagueThe old Town Hall on Dam Square, where the collection opened in 1809 and met The Night Watch. The palace is open to visitors on many days.
Dam Square, AmsterdamThe home of the museum from 1817 to 1885. Look up: the chimneys are shaped like mortars, because the Trip brothers traded in weapons.
Kloveniersburgwal, AmsterdamThe painting was owned by the city and joined the national collection in the Royal Palace in 1808.
Usually at the end of the Gallery of HonourThe final home since 1885. Walk around the outside and look for the tile pictures and statues about Dutch art.
Museumstraat, AmsterdamStart with The Threatened Swan in the Gallery of Honour, the first purchase. Then visit The Night Watch, which joined the collection in 1808. After your visit, walk 25 minutes into the city to the Trippenhuis on the Kloveniersburgwal, and end on Dam Square at the Royal Palace.
Be a detective: follow the collection on a map from The Hague to Dam Square, the Trippenhuis and Museumplein.
Combine your visit and plan the rest of your day.