The Rijksmuseum and the city

Abstract

Built on the edge of Amsterdam’s seventeenth-century canal ring, the Rijksmuseum has always formed the transition between the historical centre and the urban extensions that began in the late nineteenth century. For obvious reasons, the museum was designed to face the existing city, but the municipal authorities ordered the construction of a stately passageway through the building to the planned urban extensions. When the Concertgebouw (Concert Hall) was erected some distance away from the museum, this defined an open space between the two buildings, which later became known as Museumplein (Museum Square).