Walk The Riviera in Amsterdam
Yet another road less travelled: Amsterdam’s Rivierenbuurt aka The Riviera, designed by the Berlage, no less. Once you go off some of the bigger roads, you’ll find some real hidden spots. Especially in spring and summer, this area comes to life. The walk has a special theme. Anne Frank used to live in the area and the route passes by some of the major landmarks of her childhood.
Enjoy yourwalk!
Distance: 3km
Total Walking Time: 35 min Calories: 213
Directions: Link or click the top right corner of the map to open full screen in Google Maps
FYI: the technology behind Google Maps is sometimes a bit shaky, so sometimes you need to click the link more than once, or zoom in to get the route view. Apologies for the inconvenience.
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Amsterdam Riviera Route Highlights
Highlight A: Cafe Blek
At this cafe you always feel at home. It has the friendliest staff of any place we’ve been in Amsterdam. It’s a true neighborhood cafe; it’s been there as long as people can remember. They always have a special beer on tap, so do ask!
Highlight B: Anne Frank Statue
The statue tells the story of the last time she saw her house. Notice she’s fully dressed and wearing a scarf. The Frank family went into hiding in mid June. It’s clear by her dress and the large bag she was going away for a while, but not before she takes one last peak at her old home.
Highlight C: Anne Frank Family Home
This is the family home where the Franks lived, currently owned by the Anne Frank House Foundation (note: the Anne Frank House was her dad’s office where they went into hiding). Today, the house is a refuge for journalists that cannot report in their own country for any reason. This way the Anne Frank Foundation tries to keep Anne’s spirit alive.
Learn more about the early life of Anne Frank in our popular tour, the Early Life of Anne Frank including a Virtual Reality Experience.
Highlight D: Wolkenkrabber
This is the first high-rise of the Netherlands and is called the skyscraper. Fun fact, the top floor was not rented out for two years as people were afraid the building would move during a rough storm. In front of the building you see a statue of the building’s architect: Hendrik Berlage.
Highlight E: Lekstraat Synagogue
This was the last synagogue to be built before WWII. Because of the Holocaust, the community became to small to keep up the maintenance of the large building. Therefore, the temple is now in the building to the left of the main entrance. The central hall today is an art auction. Take a peek inside if they’re open.
Highlight F: Book Store Jimmink
This is the bookstore where Otto Frank bought Anne’s diary for her 12th birthday. The owner is a big history buff and always keeps a lot of historical books in the store. A lot of these are on the shoah. Keep walking a little further and you see a rotating model of the Anne Frank house in the window #DutchHaveNoCurtains
Highlight G: 6th Anne Frank Montessori School
This is the elementary school of Anne Frank. This is where she laid the foundation to her reading and writing. It was all in Dutch, as was her diary. The school has tried to keep her memory alive by calling itself after her and by the impressive mural on the facade, that displays passages from her diary.
Highlight H: View on Jekerschool from Jekerstraat 65
Today this former school building is the Shoura Mosque. In the 1930s, this was the Jekerschool/Vondelschool – the elementary school of Margot Frank, Anne’s sister. Interesting detail, turn around to #65. This is the house where Otto Frank lived after the war. Imagine this: every day when he walked out the door, he saw his daughter’s school.
Your Fav Hidden Gems
The above highlights are just some of our favorite spots along the way. If something catches your eye while en route, share a picture with us so we can share with the group next week.Email is best 🙂
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