All Alkmaar

The city's collection full of stories

The new permanent collection presentation of Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar takes visitors through the city collection of a historically rich city and tells the quirky stories of then and now.

Four centuries of masterpieces

Admire masterpieces by famous Dutch masters from the 16th and 17th centuries and discover the unique collection of silverware. Meet the talented Maria Tesselschade and the richly dressed archers. History is brought to the here and now with works and objects that tell the story of the siege of Alkmaar and Alkmaar's slavery past.The wall full of utensils from famous Alkmaar citizens of the 20th century, such as Fritz Conyn and Simone van der Vlugt, is a tribute to inspiring inhabitants of the city. 

Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar: for everyone

Discovery is at the heart of All Alkmaar. Especially for young and old, there is plenty to do and discover in the exhibition. Through creative and interactive games, children and parents get to work with the collection and get to know it in a new way. The works come to life under the hands of young visitors and invite them to discover the stories surrounding the objects, such as Van der Heck's Monster Workshop, where homemade digital monsters fly around.

Stories of the past and present

In the all-new exhibition of the city collection All Alkmaar the museum takes the diversity of today's Alkmaar as the starting point for stories about the Alkmaar of the past. These are not only about famous painters such as Emanuel de Witte and Pieter Saenredam, but also about the traces of the slavery past and the stark contrasts between rich and poor in this city. The history of Alkmaar is told from different perspectives. In this way, loyal and new visitors get to know Alkmaar's past and the museum as a place of encounter and connection.

Topical voice

The city collection is open to everyone to learn more about the past and how it impacts the present. Twice a year an Alkmaar resident is invited to create a mini-exhibition from his or her own perspective based on an object from the collection. First, Alexandro Rodriguez of the book Rich through a newspaper route his story in a complementary mini-exhibition called All Alkmaarders.

New on room

A special theme within the permanent collection presentation All Alkmaar is how Alkmaarers through the ages cared for each other. This theme takes on added significance with the presentation of two rare group portraits by Lambert Doomer (1624-1700), which, thanks to a recent restoration, can again be admired in the gallery for a long time. The restoration was realized with the support of the Rembrandt Association (thanks in part to its Friends Lottery Restoration Fund). View here is a mini-documentary about the restoration.

Also see the Museum Murals by artist duo TelmoMiel in Alkmaar's Overdie neighborhood.