A free garden full of rescued city gates, fountains and modern sculpture.
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You do not need a ticket for this part of the Rijksmuseum. Pierre Cuypers designed the gardens as an open-air museum, with pieces of old Dutch buildings hidden between the hedges and roses.
Cuypers did not stop at the building. He also designed the gardens around it, with fountains, clipped hedges and flower beds in historic styles. In his time many old buildings in the Netherlands were being torn down. Cuypers saved pieces of them and rebuilt them in the garden: a city gate from Groningen, stones from Deventer, arches from a church in Edam. Along the south side he built a whole wall of these fragments, like a stone history book of Dutch architecture. The gardens are free to enter. In summer they often host big outdoor sculpture shows. Check the museum's website for what is on.
Six things to look for. Works sometimes move, so ask at the desk.
A Renaissance city gate from Groningen. Cuypers rebuilt it at the entrance of the garden.
Usually at an entrance to the gardenWindows, arches and carved stones from all over the Netherlands, built into one long wall. Each piece comes from a different place.
Usually on the south side of the museumStone arches taken from a church in Edam. Imagine the church they once stood in.
In the garden, near the fragment wallA huge Caucasian wingnut, said to be planted by Cuypers himself, near the old director's house.
Usually near the former director's villaThe Asian Pavilion seems to float on water. Walk around it to see the building change shape.
On the south side, around the Asian PavilionThe public passage under the museum is free too. Stop in the middle and look up at the decorated walls.
Under the museumEnter by the Herepoort and walk slowly along the paths and fountains. Follow the south side to the long fragment wall and find the arches from Edam. Walk around the pond and the Asian Pavilion. Finish under the wingnut tree with a rest on a bench.
Play fragment hunt: find a stone face, a window without a house and a gate without a wall.
Combine your visit and plan the rest of your day.