De Bazel – A piece of History of Amsterdam

De Bazel is the city archive of Amsterdam and an impressive art deco building with a rich and royal history. The building, named after its architect K.P.C. de Bazel (1869-1923), was built between 1919 en 1926 for the ‘Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij‘ (Dutch Trading Company).

De Bazel intended his architectural designs to be in harmony with their environment. His intention was to communicate a divine message through his creations. The rooms in the building were built in many styles. The more important you were, the darker the wood in the room was and the darker the colour green on the walls were. The hierarchical idea of the building was important too.

Currently De Bazel is the city archive of Amsterdam and a conference centre. The large “King’s chamber”, as well as the six smaller adjacent rooms, have been restored to their original state. The banquet rooms with the lovely floors, ceilings with chandeliers, paintings, unique stained glass windows and chairs and tables designed by the architect himself, you feel as if you are back in the rich seventeenth century of the old Dutch traders. What is interesting is that De Bazel did not only designed the furniture, but also ash trays, pencils and a crockery set.

Maybe for tourists this is not the most interesting “museum” to see, but for the architecture you definitely have to go there. There still is a large treasury room from the time it was a bank, and worthwile seeing. I was really surprised and stunned about all the details.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
De Bazel | Art & culture | Exhibiton Adults € 4.00
Vijzelstraat 32 | Canals | +31202511800
Tue – Sat 10:00 -17:00, Sun 11:00 – 17:00