museum
Museum Het Schip
A museum of the Amsterdam School in Michel de Klerk's ship-shaped 1920s housing block — sculptural brickwork, a former post office and a restored workers' flat.
Photo: Museum Het Schip / Google
Out in the Spaarndammerbuurt in Amsterdam-West, Museum Het Schip celebrates the Amsterdam School — the early-20th-century movement that turned social housing into sculpture. It's set inside 'The Ship', an extraordinary 1920s housing block designed by architect Michel de Klerk for the working class.
With its wavy brick façades, rounded forms, a soaring tower and a ship-like silhouette, the building earned its nickname and is considered the movement's masterpiece. It was built for the housing association Eigen Haard between 1919 and 1921.
What you'll see
The museum occupies the complex's beautifully decorated former post office, and guided tours take you through the building — including a fully restored 1920s workers' apartment and a courtyard, with a mock-up of the slum housing that came before. Together they tell the story of how art, craftsmanship and social ideals combined to give ordinary families dignified, light-filled homes — 'palaces for workers'.
Good to know
It's a little way from the centre but easy to reach, and the guided tour (around 45 minutes) is the heart of a visit. The building is still lived in today, owned by the same housing association that commissioned it.
Tips from locals
The guided tour is the highlight — it's included with entry and takes you into a restored 1920s apartment you can't otherwise see.
There's usually an English-language tour each afternoon; check the times when you arrive.
Allow time to walk around the exterior too — the brickwork, tower and sculptural details are half the experience.
It's in Amsterdam-West, a little outside the centre; tram 3 to Haarlemmerplein gets you close.
Pair it with a stroll around the Spaarndammerbuurt to see De Klerk's other housing blocks nearby.
Did you know?
The building is nicknamed 'The Ship' for its wavy, ship-like silhouette and prow-like tower.
It was designed by Michel de Klerk, the leading figure of the Amsterdam School, who died at just 39.
Built in 1919 to 1921, it originally held around 102 working-class homes, a meeting hall, a post office and a school.
The museum sits in the complex's richly decorated former post office.
Het Schip is still owned and used as housing by Eigen Haard, the association that commissioned it.
FAQ
- What is Museum Het Schip?
- A museum of the Amsterdam School architectural movement, set in Michel de Klerk's iconic 'Ship' housing block.
- Where is it?
- In the Spaarndammerbuurt in Amsterdam-West.
- What's the best way to see it?
- Take the included guided tour, which visits the former post office and a restored 1920s apartment.
- How long does a visit take?
- The guided tour runs about 45 minutes, plus time to explore the exhibitions and exterior.
- Is the building still lived in?
- Yes — it remains social housing, owned by the association that built it.
Museum Het Schip, Amsterdam
Oostzaanstraat 45, 1013 WG, Amsterdam