While I was on my day trip exploring Clogs, Cheese and Windmills, the guide suggested that I go to NDSM to find funky side of Amsterdam. So, a couple of days later, I headed to Central Station to catch the free ferry and explore the area.
Central Station – Amsterdam
NDSM is a neighborhood on the north side of the IJ River, 3.2 Km (1.5 miles) from the center of Amsterdam. It was the home to a large shipbuilding company—Nederlandsch Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (Dutch Dock and Shipbuilding Company). The company folded in 1984, and its buildings became homes and studios for many artists, who took advantage of their abandonment to repurpose them as free space. In 1990, the ninety hectare (0.34 sq mi) site was bought by the borough of Amsterdam-noord. In 1999 the borough began the process of “urban renewal” and gentrification, but allowed those who has squatted there to take over their spaces.
NDSM became seen as a “cultural incubator.” Trendy companies opened offices there. The artists remained and used their studio space and collectives to maintain an artsy edge to the area, with the old shipbuilding shed now housing four hundred artists, designers, architects and set designers.
One of the main draws in NDSM is the Straat Museum. Its 8000 sq ft are dedicated to street art and graffiti artists. The works on display are the size of murals, although most of them were created specifically for the museum. With 150 works by over 130 artists on display at any one time, Straat Museum offers an exploration in the wide variety of subjects and styles that street artists are producing around the world.
Escape by Snik
Perpetual Lozange by Astro
Cubes 42 by Mr. June
Hiobotschaft (Bad News) by Sokar Uno
Into the Eyes by Zurik
Far From Home/Home is Where the Hatred Is by Guitry Banjo
Pride and Joy by Dale Grimshaw
Weak Becomes Hero by HERA of Herakut
The Residue of Arrogance by Eddie Colla
untitled by Danielle See-Walker
After exploring the Straat Museum, I walked over to the Noorderlicht Cafe. Set in an open space along the river, this cafe/beer garden offers good, fresh seasonal food at reasonable prices.
My trip across the IJ was a wonderful way spend my last day in Amsterdam. The next day it was back to Paris, and then a flight home. All in all, this trip had been a wonderful return for me, on my first European trip post-pandemic.
Terrific!!