A museum's newest treasure has become an international sensation thanks to the magic of Web 2.0. The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam has already strengthened its international profile in 2009 by sending a traveling exhibit called "Anne Frank - A History For Today" all around the world, from San Antonio to Soweto.

Last week, the museum—commemorating the teenage girl whose wartime diary chronicled her family's attempts to avoid the Nazis by hiding in the attic of an office building—took its subject to your home. Yes, you, sitting right there in front of that computer; the museum launched its own YouTube channel. The centerpiece is not a chat with Nelson Mandela or the testimony of diary finder Miep Gies, but instead a recently discovered bit of footage of Anne herself, the only such known moving image of her in the world. ]]> egw 2009-10-15T09:18:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/21/8231/92717

Remember, back in the day, when "gay" was just a synonym for happy? The tourist board Amsterdam is harking back to those times a bit with their new Everyone's Gay in Amsterdam campaign. The main target is LGBT travelers, but it goes deeper; they want to:

promote the city’s unique sense of openness and inclusivity that resonates with any visitor to Holland.

Print ads, half-hour travel specials and co-hosted events make up most of the campaign, plus a beautifully-designed website full of people looking really happy. In fact, it takes a bit of digging on the website to find anything specifically aimed at the LGBT target group, but there is a list of gay-friendly pubs and clubs if you look hard enough.]]> amandak 2009-07-21T09:29:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/13/22223/6420

If you’re the kind of tech-minded traveler who rushed to replace your guidebooks with podcast tours, and erased your podcasts to make room for iPhone travel apps, then it’s time to start getting excited about the newest in travel technology: augmented reality.

Start-up company Layar is preparing to introduce the world’s first augmented reality browser—a sort of virtual guidebook that projects data onto the world in front of you. The technology is currently getting a test run in Amsterdam, where people can download a free Layar application to their smartphones. Then, holding the phone up in front of you, you’re shown information about restaurants and ATMs in your sightline, projected right onto the screen. ]]> BS 2009-07-14T09:14:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/2/10338/59939

You know how when someone tells you they’re going to Amsterdam you give them a knowing look and think “I know what you’ll be up to, you dissolute human being”? Well you’d better stop doing that because this summer the 'Dam is all about the culture.

The Stedelijk Museum is running a mobile exhibition round town while it’s under refurbishment, the Royal Palace in Dam Square has just reopened, and on June 20, the Hermitage Museum of St Petersburg, no less, opened up a branch in a 17th-century building that used to be an old folks’ home. ]]> juliab 2009-07-02T15:19:47-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/22/25023/5040

Be careful what letters (or emails) you write: if you become famous, like Vincent van Gogh, the letters might end up on display for thousands of people to see. That's what's about to happen at the impressive Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, with a new exhibition including 120 letters written by van Gogh opening in October this year.

Most of the letters are from van Gogh to his younger brother, and it sounds like they give you some insight into his mental illness and his passion for art. The hundred odd letters they've picked will be displayed next to artwork that they refer to; in fact, there are another 800 letters around and many of them are about to be published in a book.

You can get into the Van Gogh Museum every day between 10am and 6pm – or until 10pm on Fridays – and at the moment the adult entry fee is €12.50 ($17.50). The letters – sensitive as they are – will only be on display for three months so don't leave your planning too long. Whether or not the letters solve the cutting-off-his-ear mystery is something we're keeping secret.

Related Stories:
· Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam [Official Site]
· Van Gogh Letters To Go On Display in Amsterdam [AFP]
· Amsterdam Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Van Gogh Museum] ]]> amandak 2009-06-26T14:22:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/13/15419/2441

The tolerance of Amsterdam residents is legendary, but the beer bike may have stretched it to the breaking point. For those who don't know, the beer bike is a self-propelled, ten- to twenty-person contraption that pedals around town while all but its driver quaff beers. Popular with stag and hen parties (what we Yanks call bachelor and bachelorette parties), the bikes are a fixture in the city center, with revelers howling and singing as they enjoy the booze-soaked ride. But according to Reuters, two accidents involving the bikes since April have caused the city councilor responsible for transport to reconsider how many beer bikes ought to be allowed in the city at any one time, and what measures can be taken to ensure their safety. Could this spell the end of the beer bike? ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-06-13T15:41:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/28/62433/1391

Who says the Russians aren't good at sharing? A little to our surprise, the Hermitage Amsterdam is opening next month in a new art gallery in an old seventeenth century building which is basically a branch of the famous and original Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. They've been running minor exhibits in another building for a few years, but now the real Hermitage Amsterdam is ready to thrill.

We've had a couple of trips to the Russian version and always been dazzled by the suggestions it would take a lifetime to view every piece of art there – and only if they rotated their display in time with your visits. The opening of the Amsterdam branch means there's another place for the Hermitage to exhibit some of their vast number of art treasures, and we're excited about that.]]> amandak 2009-05-28T16:27:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/