Vision and mission

The Allard Pierson manages and displays the heritage collections of the University of Amsterdam. Our specialists are happy to share their expertise, and the collections are open to everyone. Here you will find exhibitions, guided tours, research and study, lectures, encounters with experts, meeting rooms, internships, activities for children, symposia, summer schools, readings, a museum café and a shop. The museum display From the Nile to the Amstel will take you on a journey through 10,000 years of cultural history. The trip begins in Ancient Egypt and ends – once the extensions are complete – in the Amsterdam of today. There are also two major exhibitions to view each year. In Allard Pierson Live, a section that is open free of charge, you will over the course of 2019 be able to go to work yourself on the collection, or view restauration projects close-up.

Would you like to be kept informed of all the new events? Register here for the newsletter.

The Allard Pierson Collections

Collectors, libraries and heritage institutions have all lodged their collections with the University of Amsterdam over the years. They go to make up the special collections. The archaeological collections, also in the university’s possession, were for a long time managed separately in the Allard Pierson Museum. But from January 2019, we began referring to all these heritage collections under one heading: The Allard Pierson Collections. The collections are in daily use by students, researchers and fans for research using primary sources.