Houseboat Museum Moored in an Amsterdam Canal

When walking in Amsterdam, you will see many houseboats moored along the canals. Have you ever wondered what a houseboat looks like on the inside? The Hendrika Maria in Amsterdam will give you a glimpse of life on board. It used to be a cargo ship and is now converted into a Houseboat Museum.

Houseboat Museum Hendrika Maria

Your visit to the houseboat Museum starts by descending a small staircase which leads to a tiny room. When the Hendrika Maria was still a cargo ship, this space served as kitchen, living room and bedroom for the skipper and his family. There are two box beds, one for the parents and the other for the children.

From Cargo Ship to Houseboat

The next rooms you visit were created after the cargo ship was converted into a houseboat.

The reception and shop of the museum was the kitchen. Then you pass on to the living room which is surprisingly spacious and furnished with period furniture from the 1950s.

Then you enter the bedroom with a twin bed and the rest of the room is filled with displays that tell the history of the Hendrika Maria.

From Cargo Ship to Houseboat

The Hendrika Maria built in 1914 was originally a cargo sailing ship. In 1967, the ship was converted into a houseboat. Until then it transported wood and gravel.

Living on a Houseboat

In the past, when the canals were still used for the transport of goods, it was a sign of poverty to live on a houseboat. Gradually, the canals lost their transport function and the warehouses on the quays were no longer needed for storage.

After the Second World War, when there was a shortage of houses, these cargo ships were converted into houseboats and the warehouses into apartments, as can be seen on the Brouwersgracht.

Nowadays, houseboats are very popular places to live. They are connected to the sewers and the electricity network. They offer the same comfort as an apartment but have a better view and no narrow stairs to climb.

Getting there

The Houseboat Museum is moored on Prinsengracht, close to the Jordaan district and Anne Frank Museum.

Address: Prinsengracht 296 K, Amsterdam
Opening hours: daily 10.00-17.00