The history of the Canal Museum 

The beautiful building in the Herengracht 386 is from the 17th century. It was designed and built by Philips Vingboons 1663-1665 on behalf of the merchant Karel Gerads. The interior dates from the 18th century and can still be admired today. The house was inhabited by many prominent merchants and bankers. In April 2011, the canal museum opened after the Amsterdam canals were declared a World Heritage in 2010. 

What you can see in the canal museum 

Get to know everything about the history and origins of the canals during your stay in the museum. Through models, animations, wall projections and more. You can experience the development up close. Visit the multimedia interactive exhibition and travel through 400 years of history in 40 minutes. In addition to the permanent exhibition, there are also very interesting temporary exhibitions, the historic premises and the beautiful garden