I've been mentioning a few interesting attractions in Netherlands. Well, I figured this week I would refer to a prominent upcoming event – The Open Heritage Day. Also called the Open Monumentendag, this two-day event is meant to celebrate the country's rich culture and history. It is an annual event that started out in the late 1980s and has been going strong ever since. This year the Open Heritage Day will fall on the second weekend of September, running from the 12th to the 13th.

[Photo Source: Alkan Chaglar via Flickr]

On these two days, you can expect to find free entrance to a number of interesting spots all over Netherlands. As it is, over 4 000 locations are open to public on this weekend. I would recommend checking out the official Open Heritage Day site for full details as some sites are only open on Saturday or Sunday as opposed to throughout the weekend. Here are a few interesting locations:

Amsterdam:

Artis Zoo

This is one of the most visited sightseeing destinations in Amsterdam. Artis Zoo is an expansive monument that includes a zoo, exotic garden area and museums. Do note, while this spot is must-see attractions, it is also considered to be one of the more expensive locations, especially for budget travelers. For this reason, having it included in the open heritage day list is a welcome sight.

I should point out that only some of Artis' buildings are open for free – the Library, City Zoo and Great Museum.

Photo Source: pelican via flickr

Royal Palace

Who wouldn't want to see the interior décor of the upper classes of the golden age? This location is called Koninklijk Paleis and yes, it is on the list of open areas.  Normal entrance costs upto Euro 8 and thus, the open day is a fantastic opportunity to save up a few bucks. Located in Dam Square, this impressive building used to be the town hall before it was converted into the Royal Palace. Apparently it can serve as one of the official stopover points for the Queen when she is out and about in the city.

So what's there to see? Well, you could see how the city used to be – and to some extent still is – run by the authorities. There's always beautiful architecture and décor like the sculpture of God Apollo. 

Photo Source: mamamusings via Flickr

Rotterdam:

Het Schielandshuis

This historical museum is located in the city centre and is exquisitely designed. In fact, keep in mind that this is one of the few 17th century buildings left  in the city; a lot of historical buildings were boomed and destroyed in the Second World War. Here you can catch a glimpse of the changing social trends of Rotterdam as well as find out more about its rich past. 


Maritime Museum

Hardly surprising, given that this is a port city right? Plus, there are all those fascinating stories about admirals, sea battles and of course, pirates! Maritime Museum is one of those well-loved attractions which also comes with a hefty admission fee (Euro 8), at least for budget travelers. Good news is, the place has signed up for inclusion in the Open Heritage Day list. What can you expect to see here? Expect a few blast from the past moments as you come cross old paintings, ship décor and century old fishing techniques.

Photo Source: Robert Thomson via Flickr

Nijmegen:

De Witte Molen

This is just one of the few windmills that are mentioned in the monument list for the 12th. Admittedly, there are bigger – and fancier – windmills than this one on that list. I found this one fascinating because of its quirky history. Alright, so it was a windmills like any other but it did have a creepy story about wolf hunting. Apparently there used to be a pit trap for wolves close to the windmill. It is this complicated and bizarre tale of how the miller kept watch in the top floor whilst pitchfork-waving farmers drove a wolf towards that pit. If you love your sharte of freaky stories, mark this on must-see list.

There are many more places to check out on the list. The Open Monument Dag website has this handy little application that helps narrow down the monument types and areas. Unfortunately, it is in Dutch but you could always use one of the online translation tools.