My last blog I complained about the general over-crowdedness of Amsterdam’s tourist hotspots but it’s easy to find other places of interest outside the city centre. So if you’re having an Amsterdam staycation, or are visiting the town and looking for something different, why not follow an Amsterdam School architecture trail?

The Amsterdam School is an architectural style which flowered in the Netherlands from 1910-1930. It is similar to the German Brick Expressionism movement which used bricks, tiles or clinker bricks as the main visible building material.

In the Netherlands this architectural style was often used in social housing projects, its jewel in the crown being ‘het Schip’ in Amsterdam Westerpark neighbourhood. The apartment building on the Spaarndammer-plantsoen is by Michel de Klerk. The building consists of bright orange bricks, decked with minarets and other unusual features. Designed in 1919, the building contains 102 dwellings for the working class, a small meeting house and a post office.

Het Schip is open to the public from Tuesday through Sunday, from 11am-5pm. Entrance fee is 7,50 euros which includes a 45-minute tour (so you can look inside the building) starting on the hour.

Museum Het Schip
Spaarndammerplantsoen 140
1013 XT Amsterdam

Discover more Amsterdam School buildings via this detailed map which also shows architect’s details.