Descrizione Tour

NDSM was one of the biggest European shipbuilding yard of the last century. The company was located in the north of Amsterdam and it built or refitted ships. It went bankrupt in 1984 and the whole area fell into disuse. 

From the Amsterdam central station we’ll hop onto a free ferry-boat to get to this incredible hotspot in 15 minutes.  The empty buildings of this former industrial district were soon squatted by artists, artisans and homeless urban rovers who soon turned the NDSM wharf into a creative area later called the “breeding ground”.

The former industrial site soon became a vibrant cultural place where lots of wide-range cultural events such as festivals or art exhibitions take place every year.

We’ll visit the huge NDSM warehouse, the former ship yard looking like an industrial cathedral with its 20-metre-high roof; a vertical structure made with colourful ship containers that are connected one to the other by stairs and  gangways. They have become exhibition areas for more than 80 contemporary artists such as architects, photographers, theatre actors, dancers and singers.

Outside you’ll be impressed by amazing examples of street art such as numerous colourful graffiti, portraits, typography, sculptures or stencil art. 

There’s also a big coloured crane converted into a luxurious design hotel that was made in 2014 and a modern 3-star-floating hotel moored on the banks of the IJ river. 

Lots of lovely places welcome you for a snack here: the former offices of the workers, a bizarre green house or a weird industrial container with a stunning view on the IJ river.

No risks to get bored!