Things to do in Amsterdam – The Houseboat Museum (Het Woonboot Museum)

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Houseboat Museum Exterior Bow

It’s hard to visit Amsterdam and not notice the many houseboats lining the canals.  We’ve often wondered what it would be like to live on one and on our most recent trip to Amsterdam we had an opportunity to step aboard the “Hendrika Maria” for a look at how a family lived on a woonboot or houseboat in Amsterdam.  We also got an idea of how a family lived and worked on a vrachtschip or cargo boat. Built in 1914, and named for the wife of the boat’s first captain or skipper, the “Hendrika Maria” transported gravel, sand and timber. In 1967, the ship was converted into a houseboat, and in 2008, was restored to create the present day Woonbootmuseum (Houseboat Museum).

Houseboat Museum Entrance Hatch

To see the boat from above, it looks like there can’t possibly be room enough inside for one person to live comfortably, much less a family of four. Imagining how the family survived in these cramped quarters really made the visit interesting. The houseboat museum shows the full length of the boat as a home, though in her days as a working cargo ship, the “Hendrika Maria” wasn’t quite so luxurious.

Houseboat Museum Deckhouse Area

The first room on the tour is the very small deckhouse, the original private quarters of the skipper and his family.

Houseboat Museum Adult Berth

Notice the two berths located under the rear deck,

Houseboat Museum Deck House Cookstove

and the small cookstove.

Houseboat Museum Ticket Counter-Kitchen

Houseboat Museum Kitchen

From there, step down into what is now a kitchen, but back in the day was part of the cargo hold. This is also the ticket counter and gift shop. The cargo hold was originally one large open space in the middle of the ship, but when converted to a boathouse, walls were built to section off the various rooms.

Houseboat Museum Living Room

Houseboat Museum Living Room

From the kitchen, you’ll enter the living room or lounge, which is decorated in authentic 1950s-style (notice the wood-burning stove and the old black and white tube television). Moving further into the former cargo hold, in space that was used by later inhabitants as a bedroom, you’ll see a small exhibit of model houseboats, the ship’s shower room (with sink and toilet), and the water-line drawn on the wall about a foot above the floor, showing the level of the water in the canal.  And, lastly, the bow of the ship, complete with another berth, this one for the servant’s use.

Sign at Entrance to Houseboat Museum

Getting there:

Het Woonbootmuseum can be found moored at Prinsengracht 296 K at the edge of the 9 Straatjes shopping district.

Ticket info:

Adult admission = 4.50€; Free with iAmsterdam City Card 

There’s not much to the museum since it’s limited to the space onboard.  Yet, for the admission price it’s a great way to spend a few minutes and to get a glimpse of life on an Amsterdam houseboat.

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2 Comments

  1. I loved this museum!

  2. The museum is indeed really cool, just don’t expect to be occupied for hours though

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