Pijpencabinet (Amsterdam Pipe Museum)

The Amsterdam Pipe Museum, or Pijpencabinet, resides in an old building near the Prinsengracht Canal in the center of the city. The museum has been open to the public for more than 40 years. Although it isn’t very large, the museum holds an archive of more than 20,000 objects.

Upon entering the basement, guests are greeted by a plethora of artifacts. You can also buy a variety of pipes displayed in each of the wooden drawers, but be aware, these pipes range from a few euros to a few thousand.

​The museum began as the private collection of Don Duco, who started collecting in 1969. It was then moved to Leiden in 1995 before being relocated to Amsterdam. The museum contains collections of clay, porcelain, and wooden pipes, but also many other old artifacts, such as two grandfather’s clocks.

Many of the pipe-heads in this museum belonged to common folk, politicians, and actors. There is also a long, ornate white pipe decorated with flowers and ribbons for visitors to marvel at. It was customary during traditional Dutch weddings that the bridesmaids would decorate the groom’s pipe with ribbons and garlands. A large portion of the museum’s collection has been digitized online so anyone around the world can enjoy its amazing objects.