Description of the attraction
The Bible Museum is located in the center of Amsterdam, on the embankment of the Herengracht Canal. Since 1975, the museum has occupied two buildings out of four so-called "Kromhout houses". The buildings themselves are also of great historical and architectural value. They were built in 1662 for the wealthy Amsterdam merchant Jakob Kromhout. These houses have preserved 17th century kitchens - the oldest in the Netherlands. Ceiling paintings from the beginning of the 18th century and stucco moldings preserved in some rooms are also of great interest.
The museum was founded in 1852. The founder of the museum, Leendert Schouten, collected what could recreate the atmosphere of that time and those places where the events described in the Bible once took place. The Egyptian collection of the museum includes not only clay tablets, sarcophagi or images of scarabs, but also a real mummy. Here you can see models of ancient temples made with amazing precision and decorated with precious stones.
The museum contains the oldest Bible printed in the Netherlands - it was published in 1477. The first Bible in Dutch, printed in 1637, is also kept here. Visitors can see many old and rare editions. The collection of the museum continues to grow: in 2009, with sponsorship, the museum acquired a collection of antique copies of the Bible in silver bindings. The museum also displays a facsimile copy of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran, found in 1947.
The museum also hosts various thematic exhibitions.
