Indoor museum
Information and starting point
The indoor museum is the perfect starting point to find out about the cultural-historical legacy of Cornelis van Eesteren. It is also the starting point for guided walks and excursions.
The indoor museum houses exhibitions and serves as an information centre. You can consult books and documents about the work of Van Eesteren and the Garden Cities, whilst enjoying a cup of tea or coffee.
There is also a small shop with books and walking and biking maps.
Exhibitions
The permanent exhibition is about the life and work of Cornelis van Eesteren (1897-1988) and the urban ideas behind the Garden Cities of Amsterdam.
Temporary exhibitions highlight a variety of topics related to the post-war period and current and future aspects concerning Amsterdam New West. Urban planning, architecture, design and social history. For example new ways of building or style characteristics and the approach to ‘good living’.
The Van Eesteren Museum: 2010-2020
The Van Eesteren Museum opened its doors in October 2010 in an old school at the Burgemeester de Vlugtlaan 125 in Slotermeer. At this old home and industrial school, which was built in 1966, young men and women learned the skills needed to be good husbands and wives. Above the main entrance of the building one can see a brick tablet with playing children. This piece of art, called ‘school figures’, was made by renowned Dutch artist and professor Harry op de Laak and placed above that entrance in 1967.
In October 2017 the museum moved to the newly built Van Eesteren Pavilion, next to the Sloterplas, right on a plot of land that Cornelis van Eesteren himself had drawn and designated to house a pavilion. His pavilion unfortunately was never built. With the construction and occupation of this new pavilion, the Van Eesteren Museum has managed to realize a small part of Van Eesteren’s original plan.
In 2020-2021 the museum celebrates its 10 year anniversary with the online publication of (background) stories on the museum and its collection and discounts for visitors. Learn more about this anniversary here (in Dutch).