At Rijksmuseum Boerhaave you get to discover more about the most important inventions from the history of science in the Netherlands. Which scientists were behind them and what is the impact of their discoveries on our lives? Find out more about their quest and join us in discussing today’s major issues.
In general, information in the museum is bilingual (Dutch and English).
Golden Age
Here everything revolves around new notions of heaven and earth and the overwhelming explosion of knowledge that took place in the Netherlands in the seventeenth century. You will come across top pieces such as the world’s oldest heliocentric planetarium, maps by Blaeu, nature drawings by Maria Sibylla Merian and of course Antoni van Leeuwenhoek’s microscope.
Sickness & Health
Learn more about innovations in medicine: from bloodletting to blood transfusions and from amputations to complex transplants. Marvel at the very first artificial kidney and iron lung. Follow the developments in childbirth. And join us in thinking about the dilemmas facing the world of medicine tomorrow.
Great Collections
Scientists compiled marvellous collections in the eighteenth century. Relish exquisite plants and animals from far-away countries and magnificent projections from rare and valuable books. Here you will see how the predecessors of Google and Wikipedia went about their business.
Water, Electricity & Data
Step into the world of engineering and let historical objects and instructive interactive games guide you on your way. How do we pump polders dry? What can you do with electrical current? How ultrafast is the quantum computer?
Big Questions
Einstein’s search, that of Dutch Nobel Prize Winners of the past and pioneering scientists of the present lead to new discoveries about our brain, our place in the universe and the workings of our DNA. Curiosity knows no bounds and today’s answers yield tomorrow’s questions.
