Kees

All About Me:

Hi, I’m Kees. Before I became a guide, I worked in bars for years, always in hospitality, and I still do it one or two days a week. In 2022, when my back started hurting from carrying trays all day, I realised I needed something new. I often saw guides coming into the bar and thought it looked like fun, so I searched online and found a job at the Johan Cruyff Arena, the stadium of my team Ajax. I gave it a try, loved it immediately, and that’s how guiding began for me.

History has always been part of my life. My father is a historian, so guiding feels very natural to me. Being born and raised in Amsterdam gives me an even stronger connection to the stories I tell. I also come from a Jewish family, and my great-grandfather was deported during the war but survived. Sharing Anne Frank’s story and the wider Jewish history of Amsterdam feels especially meaningful to me. It is important that visitors understand what happened here and why this history still matters.

I’m also fascinated by the Golden Age, the 17th century, and the Dutch uprising, particularly the period of the Eighty Years’ War. One day I’d love to guide in the Rijksmuseum, because those eras truly inspire me. I admire historical figures like William of Orange, Miep Gies, Michiel de Ruyter, and Henk van der Veen from the Dutch resistance. I’d ask them what drove them, what gave them courage, and what it felt like to live through times so different from ours.

In my free time, I love wandering through the Jordaan or standing on Dam Square to admire the Royal Palace. The Holocaust Names Monument always moves me, and the Begijnhof is a peaceful spot I’d happily show anyone. I also know Amsterdam’s craft beer scene inside out. If you tell me what you like, I’ll find the perfect beer for you.

You can take the following tours with me:

Anne Frank’s Last Walk Group Tour

Brews & T’Ales

Amsterdam’s Ghostly Experiences Tour