Amsterbike

I don't think I'm ready to let it go...
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Summer in Amsterdam, by boat 💗

As a tried-and-true Amsterdammer, and even as a visiting tourist, you’ve definitely seen this tiny, slightly strange house sitting behind Amsterdam Central - but do you know what it is?

Our resident urbanists and fantastic tour guides Christiaan and Katie have just written a new blog about the unassuming NACO-huisje. Built in 1919 by architect Guillaume la Croix (1877-1923), its dramatic roofing and intricate detailing reveal a concealed story, one that residents and architecture enthusiastics alike often miss.

Amsterdam School is an expressionist architectural style that is often celebrated as “distinctly Dutch”. You can spot heaps of it around the Netherlands, noted for its dramatic brickwork and hidden joyful details, like motifs of animals or human figurines. However, what is often ignored in popular discourse is that many of its forms were influenced (aka: often replicated without credit) from Indonesian tribal architecture, crafts and design during the Dutch colonial period.

It was no secret that some of the school’s greatest designers looked to Indonesia for inspiration – Amsterdamse School journal Wendingen sometimes featured Indonesian and more broadly Asian designs. Yet recognition is, of course, not the same as equal authorship or meaningful credit. Indonesian architecture, objects, motifs and knowledge were filtered through colonial exhibitions and then transformed into a movement celebrated mainly under Dutch architects’ names.

At the Scheepvaarthuis, for example, a stained-glass image was copied from a Balinese ‘Parba’ taken during the Dutch military expedition to Bali in 1906, while the original maker was erased from the object’s history. The NACO-huisje is a good reminder that architectural styles do not emerge in innocent isolation.

Want to learn more about the Indonesian influence on Amsterdamse School? You can read our blog and join our 3 hour Amsterdam city highlights tour. Otherwise, you can rent a bike from us here at Amsterbike and visit and , the best places to learn about this design style.

As a tried-and-true Amsterdammer, and even as a visiting tourist, you’ve definitely seen this tiny, slightly strange house sitting behind Amsterdam Central - but do you know what it is?

Our resident urbanists and fantastic tour guides Christiaan and Katie have just written a new blog about the unassuming NACO-huisje. Built in 1919 by architect Guillaume la Croix (1877-1923), its dramatic roofing and intricate detailing reveal a concealed story, one that residents and architecture enthusiastics alike often miss.

Amsterdam School is an expressionist architectural style that is often celebrated as “distinctly Dutch”. You can spot heaps of it around the Netherlands, noted for its dramatic brickwork and hidden joyful details, like motifs of animals or human figurines. However, what is often ignored in popular discourse is that many of its forms were influenced (aka: often replicated without credit) from Indonesian tribal architecture, crafts and design during the Dutch colonial period.

It was no secret that some of the school’s greatest designers looked to Indonesia for inspiration – Amsterdamse School journal Wendingen sometimes featured Indonesian and more broadly Asian designs. Yet recognition is, of course, not the same as equal authorship or meaningful credit. Indonesian architecture, objects, motifs and knowledge were filtered through colonial exhibitions and then transformed into a movement celebrated mainly under Dutch architects’ names.

At the Scheepvaarthuis, for example, a stained-glass image was copied from a Balinese ‘Parba’ taken during the Dutch military expedition to Bali in 1906, while the original maker was erased from the object’s history. The NACO-huisje is a good reminder that architectural styles do not emerge in innocent isolation.

Want to learn more about the Indonesian influence on Amsterdamse School? You can join our 3 hour Amsterdam city highlights tour. Otherwise, you can rent a bike from us here at Amsterbike and visit and , the best places to learn more about this design style.

Our today countryside e-bike tour with cheese farm