Video: Rijksmuseum Blitz

Video: Rijksmuseum Blitz
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

I just finished a marvelous tour of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam with our tour group and am inspired by the local art-historian guide we enjoyed.

During the Dutch Golden Age (the 1600s), with their trading ships roaming the globe and their leading city the pinnacle of European civilization, the Dutch produced some of the greatest art ever. No longer the "Spanish Netherlands" ruled by the Habsburg king and obedient to the pope, the Dutch were a Protestant republic -- fiercely independent and proud. Great news -- but it left their artists without the support of the usual big patrons (nobles, kings, and the Catholic Church). As you'll see here, they did just fine.

Enjoy this three-minute blitz of the core of one of Europe's greatest collections of art: Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. Hold on to your cheese!

(Thanks for following along on my blog and on Facebook as I guide our Best of Europe in 21 Days Tour.)

(This post originally appeared at blog.ricksteves.com/blog/rijksmuseum.)

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE