Amsterdam Pipe Museum

The Amsterdam Pipe Museum, originally founded in 1969 as an archive for clay pipes, now presents a unique collection of around twenty thousand tobacco pipes. The exhibits cover smoking culture from five continents, spanning from 500 B.C. to the present day. You can admire archaeological finds from the Netherlands and neighboring countries, as well as well-preserved clay, porcelain, meerschaum, and wooden pipes from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A particular focus is on ethnographic pieces from Africa, Central and South America, and China, complemented by more than two thousand illustrations and drawings. The museum is housed in a listed building on the Prinsengracht that dates from 1680. In addition to the exhibition, the integrated specialty shop, which operates as part of the foundation, offers monthly courses on the art of enjoying a pipe. Since 2004, a pipe repair service has also been available, making the place a central meeting point for enthusiasts.