Four floors of books, iron spiral stairs and a glass roof full of daylight.
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Many people say it is the most beautiful room in the Rijksmuseum. The Cuypers Library is the largest and oldest art history library in the Netherlands, and you can look inside.
Architect Pierre Cuypers believed a museum was not only a place to look, but also a place to learn. So he gave the Rijksmuseum its own library, which opened with the building in 1885. He made it light and safe: a big glass roof let readers work without candles or gas lamps, and iron galleries and spiral staircases climb along walls of books. Today the library holds around 450,000 items: books, magazines and old auction catalogues that tell who owned which painting and when. Students, art historians and curious visitors use it to look things up. Most visitors see it from a viewing balcony, but check the museum's website if you want to come in and read.
Six things to look for. Works sometimes move, so ask at the desk.
Rows of long tables under the glass roof. Even on a grey day the room is full of light.
Usually seen from the viewing balconyThin iron stairs curl up to the higher galleries. They are as much decoration as they are stairs.
In the library, around the reading roomThousands of spines in all colours, from floor to roof. It looks like wallpaper made of books.
All around the reading roomTens of thousands of old sale catalogues show who bought and sold art. Researchers use them like detective files.
In the library collectionBefore or after the library, walk through the Great Hall. Cuypers filled it with stained-glass windows and painted walls about Dutch history.
Usually on the first floor, at the top of the main stairsCuypers' building has a public passage right through the middle. Cyclists still ride under the museum every day.
Under the museum, between Museumplein and the city centreWalk up to the Great Hall and take a minute for the stained-glass windows. Follow the signs to the Cuypers Library and look down from the balcony into the reading room. Count the spiral staircases. On your way out, stop in the passage under the building and watch the bikes go by.
Count the spiral staircases from the balcony. Then guess: how many books would fit in your bedroom?
Combine your visit and plan the rest of your day.