Walk with a guide
Discover the open air museum
Walk with a guide through the ‘living’ open air museum, with a ‘collection’ consisting of houses, public gardens, shops, parks, squares and streets. From 1951 onwards, Amsterdam’s first City Garden outside the Ring Railway, Slotermeer, was built here.
Van Eesteren’s town planning principle of open housing plots and building blocks has not lost its innovative character, and has remained remarkably intact in Slotermeer. The outdoor museum is a highlight of post-war architecture. More information about the architecture walk can be obtained at walk with a guide.
Establishment
With the grand-scale urban renewals in the Western City Gardens at the beginning of this century, awareness grew that Amsterdam New West represents an important cultural-historical area. As a result of this development, Slotermeer was declared a protected townscape in 2007.
Fierce battles were fought to protect this unique part of Amsterdam, now the outdoor museum. Out of the interactions between local politics, housing corporations and residents also the Van Eesteren Museum was born. The Van Eesteren Museum opened in October 2010.