Information Sketchwalks
(open to all)
This year the sketchwalks are pointing you to specific characteristic areas within the city. Note that they are not set walking routes run under supervision.
Because the general public is invited to join as well, there will be two sketchwalks to choose from in the morning and four in the afternoon. This way you get a chance to spread out and explore different areas of the city at your own pace, but still meet, share and compare discoveries!
There are only two defined places in each area, one to meet up with friends and fellow sketchers, and one to end together.
You do not need to gather at a set time at the meeting point, so it’s up to you when you start and where you choose to explore from there. The only set place and time is the end point for the show & tell and a group photo.
Meeting Point |
Here you can arrange to meet up together, or just join someone else who is looking for a sketch partner. Feel free to organize your own small groups! Two volunteers will be available at the meeting point for the first 30 minutes.
End Point |
Here you come together for a show & tell and the group photo at a set time (indicated on the specific walk). Two volunteers will be there at the end time of the specific walk.
The final sketchwalk on Saturday afternoon for everyone will have two designated starting points and end near the NEMO Science Museum on the Oosterdok. We are expecting a very large amount of people.
So we ask you please to spread out over the whole area quickly and really enjoy yourselves by exploring and discovering new and unusual corners and vistas.
SKETCHWALK 1: JORDAAN
Meeting Point: Westermarkt | |
End Point: Noordermarkt |
■ Thursday 10:00 - 13:00 hrs
■ Friday 16:00 - 19:00 hrs
The Meeting Point is at the Westerkerk, the church at Westermarkt, from where we spread out over various streets throughout the Jordaan to meet at the End Point at Noordermarkt.
The routes are only a suggestion. The Jordaan, dotted with specialty shops, bars, restaurants and lively markets, is a vibrant tourist spot as well as a prized residential neighbourhood.
The name Jordaan probably comes from the French jardin (garden) and is well known for its high concentration of hofjes (inner courtyards), many with restored gardens and houses.
Rembrandt spent his last years in this area and is buried in the Westerkerk.
SKETCHWALK 1: JORDAAN
SKETCHWALK 2: SPUI
Meeting Point: Spui - The American Book Center | |
End Point: Spui - The American Book Center |
■ Thursday 10:00 - 13:00 hrs
■ Friday 16:00 - 19:00 hrs
The Meeting Point is at The American Book Center on the Spui square. From there, we spread out around the area, either around Begijnhof and the Amsterdam Museum area, or heading around the famous Nine Streets.
The End Point is at Spui again. The Spui (pronounced Spou) is a square in the centre of the city It is a popular destination for book lovers, with a weekly book market on Fridays and a variety of bookstores. Every Sunday there is also a weekly art market.
The area contains the Begijnhof, a large residential courtyard founded in the Middle Ages, and the Amsterdam Museum with the inner courtyards of the old orphanage. The Spui also leads over into the Nine Streets, famous for its narrow streets full of boutique shops and cafes.
SKETCHWALK 2: SPUI
SKETCHWALK 3: MUSEUMPLEIN
Meeting Point: Museumplein | |
End Point: Vondelpark - Near North Entrance to Leidseplein |
■ Thursday 16:00 - 19:00 hrs
■ Friday 10:00 - 13:00 hrs
Located at the Museumplein (Museum Square) are three major museums: the Stedelijk Museum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Rijksmuseum. At the far end of the square you also find the world renowned Concertgebouw.
Across from the Rijksmuseum you can explore the Spiegelkwartier, an area known for its antiques dealers and art galleries.
The Leidseplein is one of the busiest centres for nightlife in the city. It is also the home of the Stadsschouwburg theatre and the American Hotel.The Vondelpark is Amsterdam’s most popular park and has World Heritage status.
SKETCHWALK 3: MUSEUMPLEIN
SKETCHWALK 4: AMSTEL
Meeting Point: Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge) | |
End Point: Amstelveld |
■ Thursday 16:00 - 19:00 hrs
■ Friday 10:00 - 13:00 hrs
The Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge) crossing the river Amstel is an old Dutch double swipe (balanced) wooden bridge and is the most famous example in the city.
The Stopera (Dutch National Opera and Ballet), the Hermitage museum and the Royal Theatre Carré all sit along the riverside. The Keizersgracht and the Kerkstraat lead off the river inward toward the Amstelveld, a large square which houses the Amstelkerk, a wooden church from 1670. The square is home to a Monday flower market, a few cafes with street terraces and every now and again you’ll find a group of relaxed residents enjoying a game of boules.
SKETCHWALK 4: AMSTEL
SKETCHWALK 5: ARTIS
Meeting Point: Jonas Daniël Meijerplein | |
End Point: Kadijksplein |
■ Thursday 16:00 - 19:00 hrs
■ Friday 16:00 - 19:00 hrs
■ Saturday 10:00 - 13:00 hrs
The Jonas Daniël Meijerplein is surrounded by the magnificent Portuguese Synagogue and the Jewish Historical Museum.
Across the canal is the Hortus, one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world.
The Plantage area is home to the Artis Royal Zoo, the Micropia museum and the Resistance Museum.
The quaint Kadijksplein is reached along the Nieuwe Herengracht or through the Entrepotdok gatehouse, the zoo side walking past the impressive Entrepotdok warehouses towards the Scharrebiersluis bridge. From there, you have a nice view of the Maritime Museum over the main road.
SKETCHWALK 6: JAVA-EILAND
Meeting Point: Pakhuis de Zwijger | |
End Point: Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ |
■ Thursday 16:00 - 19:00 hrs
■ Friday 16:00 - 19:00 hrs
■ Saturday 10:00 - 13:00 hrs
The national monument Pakhuis de Zwijger was built during the heyday of Amsterdam’s Eastern Docklands area (Dutch: Oostelijk Havengebied) as a warehouse for refrigerated goods. It has the bridge to the Java- eiland running right through the middle of it. Java-eiland is a peninsula created at the end of the 19th century. The island is now mostly residential with notable modern architecture. Back over the bridge and along the quay-side you reach the classical concert hall the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ which also houses the jazz venue the Bimhuis.
SKETCHWALK 6: JAVA-EILAND
FINAL SKETCHWALK: OOSTERDOK
Meeting Point: Kattenburgerplein and Oosterdokskade | |
End Point: Near NEMO (Final Photo at 17:30 hrs) |
■ Saturday 15:00 - 17.30 hrs
At the National Maritime Museum (Scheepvaartmuseum) on Kattenburgerplein you can either go to the old naval terrain or enter the Oosterdok by the Architecture Centre of Amsterdam (ARCAM). There has been a great deal of building going on around the Oosterdok in the last twenty years, including the green copper-clad NEMO Science Museum, many hotels and apartment buildings. Moored at the Maritime Museum is the replica of the East Indiaman ‘Amsterdam’. Along the quayside of the Nemo is the Museum Harbour containing twenty historic commercial vessels, now mostly private residences.
The Amsterdam Public Library (OBA) at Oosterdokskade has a top-floor restaurant that affords spectacular views over the city. The quayside here has a floating Chinese restaurant and a long new boardwalk perfect for sketching along the waterside.
FINAL SKETCHWALK: OOSTERDOK
EXTRA SUGGESTIONS
for further exploration by yourself
A. Spaarndammerbuurt - Amsterdam School architecture. The highlight in this area behind the Westerpark is the Museum Het Schip built in 1919 in the Amsterdam School of expressionist architecture style: www.hetschip.nl/en
Take the bus 22 (7 mins) to Spaarndammerstraat and walk 5 mins to Oostzaanstraat, or walk from Central Station 32 mins, or bike 15 mins.
B. NDSM shipyard - Amsterdam’s industrial past. Take a 15 min ferry to NDSM over and along the IJ river to discover Amsterdam’s industrial past, with large shipyard halls now housing artists and creatives and an old submarine by the ferry terminal. Admire the amazing large graffiti walls and relax, eat and drink at the unusual cafes and restaurants: www.iamsterdam.com/en/about-amsterdam/amsterdam-neighbourhoods/ndsm
C. Eye Overhoeks - The new vibrant developing Amsterdam. Take a very quick 3 minute ferry from behind the Central Station to Buiksloterweg over the river IJ, to get a different wide view of the city skyline. This area is rapidly being developed with many new modern architectural highlights such as the EYE Film Museum and the Overhoeks/A'damTower.
NB: Ferries departing from behind Amsterdam Central Station are used to shuttle pedestrians, cyclists and mopeds. They are quick, easy, run 24 hours and are convenient to use and free - you don’t need to buy a ticket before boarding.
THEME WALKS
If at first the choice seems a bit overwhelming and you are unsure where to get started, one useful idea is to pick a theme to help you focus and guide your exploration. You could run a theme throughout your sketchbook during the symposium, or designate a specific sketchbook or leporello to one or two themes and even turn it into a kind of ‘treasure hunt’, comparing findings with each other! E.g. how many statues can you find? Discover the story behind the statue and note it in your sketch.
Here are a few suggestions of themes typically found in Amsterdam:
■ decorative canal house gables,
■ markets,
■ houseboats,
■ front door steps with plants,
■ bikes,
■ old pubs or shopfronts,
■ modern architecture mixed with old,
■ Amsterdam School architecture,
■ art nouveau details,
■ old gnarly trees,
■ canal bridges,
■ old churches,
■ statues,
■ street cafe life.