National Heritage Day in Amsterdam takes place on the 8 – 9th September 2012 and is an event where major monuments in the city are free to visit. It includes museums, art galleries and other heritage buildings, some of which are usually closed to the public. The aim of the weekend is to bring together Amsterdam’s multi-cultural community.
Around 900,000 visitors take part in the event each year, including many Brits who can get from London to Amsterdam on the Eurostar in under 5 hours. There are on-site activities and workshops at most of the locations such as guided tours, exhibitions and musicals as well as special exhibitions and sneak previews in select venues. There is something for everyone to see and is an excellent day out for all the family.
National Heritage Day, or Open Monumentendag started in Amsterdam in 1987 and gradually spread across Europe, with 48 countries taking part at present. Stichting Open Monumentendag coordinates the continental European Heritage Days which has its offices in the Netherlands. Over 20 million visitors annually attend the events all over Europe who are keen to learn more about the past.
