Amsterdam’s famed canal belt gets its own museum
| FEATURE |
 |
AMSTERDAM — Amsterdam’s famed 17th century canal district, a major tourist draw which was added to Unesco’s World Heritage List last year, now boasts its own museum.
“The history of the canals had never been told,” said Piet van Winden, the head of the “Grachtenhuis” private museum which has just opened to the public. “They are probably the best conceived urban extension project in the world,” he said.
“Here, we set the scene, we explain the how and why,” he told AFP. “Our goal is to be a sort of gateway to the splendour of the canals. It’s then up to each visitor to discover them on foot, by bicycle or by boat.”
An estimated three million foreign tourists flock to the so-called “Venice of the North” to visit its protected canal belt, which is home to 8,000 monuments and will mark its 400th anniversary in 2013..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110503com6.html
0 comments
Post a Comment