A Journey Through Time, Right Under Your Feet: Exploring Amsterdam’s Below the Surface
When you think of a journey into the past, you probably picture a hushed museum with velvet ropes and carefully curated displays. But in Amsterdam, one of the city’s most fascinating historical collections is found in a place of constant motion: the Rokin metro station. Welcome to “Below the Surface,” a groundbreaking project that transforms a daily commute into an extraordinary trip through time.
The story began with the ambitious construction of the city’s new North/South metro line. As archaeologists dug down into the earth, they uncovered layers of Amsterdam’s history, deposited in the bed of the Amstel River. This wasn’t just a handful of relics; they unearthed an astonishing collection of nearly 700,000 artifacts—a treasure trove of everyday objects spanning from the deep past to the recent present.
Get ready to embark on a truly unique urban adventure—one that takes you on a journey not just across Amsterdam, but deep into its layered past. As you descend into the Rokin metro station, prepare to discover an extraordinary “museum” hidden in plain sight, a mesmerizing display of history and art known as the ‘Rokin vitrines’.
Forget the traditional museum setting. Here, the artifacts are showcased in two immense, sloping glass cases that run parallel to the escalators at both the north and south entrances. This dynamic and modern setting is the result of a groundbreaking collaboration between artists Grégory Gicquel and Daniel Dewar and the city’s Monuments and Archaeology project team. The result is a work of art that seamlessly blends with the station’s architecture, inviting you to slow down and take in the story unfolding beneath your feet.
Within these striking vitrines, you’ll find an astonishing collection of approximately 9,500 archaeological finds. Unlike traditional displays that focus on a single object, the Rokin vitrines present the artifacts in a dense, continuous flow, a visual tapestry of Amsterdam’s history. Each object—from pottery and glass to bone and metal—is a silent storyteller, a relic of daily life unearthed from the riverbed of the Amstel. The finds are meticulously organized into ten functional themes, allowing you to trace the city’s evolution through objects related to food, weapons, craft, and industry.
This is more than just a fleeting glimpse of the past. The vitrines are a marvel of engineering, equipped with a climate-control system to ensure the preservation of these delicate artifacts for the next thirty years. And for those who want a closer look, the magic doesn’t end when you step off the escalator. A high-resolution digital model of the entire display is available online, allowing you to zoom in on every single object and delve into its history.
The Rokin vitrines are a powerful reminder that history isn’t just found in books or behind ropes—it’s right there, “Below the Surface,” waiting to be discovered with every ride you take. It’s a journey into the soul of Amsterdam, one escalator ride at a time.
From Prehistory to Modern Day Relics
The sheer scale of the finds is what makes this exhibit so special. The objects tell a story not of kings and empires, but of the ordinary lives of Amsterdam’s inhabitants. The timeline is breathtaking, with the oldest finds dating back to the prehistoric era. As you move along the display, you’ll see a progression of centuries, with finds including:
- Medieval and Golden Age Artifacts: Discover ancient coins, pottery from the 14th century, and intricate ice-skating blades from the Middle Ages. You’ll also find evidence of Amsterdam’s booming trade with imported Chinese porcelain and a wide variety of local wares from the 17th-century Golden Age.
- 19th and 20th-Century Finds: The finds get more familiar, with items like pocket watches, military uniform buttons, and even a car radiator cap from 1922.
- Modern Day Debris: The collection is not afraid to include our recent history, with objects like cell phones and credit cards from the early 2000s, showing that even our daily “trash” can become a historical artifact. While the exhibition showcases a vast timeline, the objects are not from 140,000 BCE or as recent as 2025, but the impressive collection showcases a wide range of human history and culture.
How to View the Collection
The “Below the Surface” collection is a must-see for any history buff or curious traveler.
In-Person at Rokin Station: The physical display, created by artists Daniel Dewar and Gregory Gicquel, is housed in two long glass cases located between the escalators at the north and south ends of the station. The objects are arranged in a dense, flowing pattern, offering a mesmerizing glimpse of the city’s history in motion. Viewing the displays is an attraction in itself, and you don’t need a formal ticket to do so. Thanks to the city’s new OVpay system, you can tap in and out of the metro station using a contactless debit or credit card, or your smartphone. As long as you re-tap to exit within 60 minutes of your entry, you will not be charged.
The collection is displayed in two massive, sloping glass cases positioned between the escalators at the north and south entrances of the station. The best view is arguably from the inner side of the escalators, giving you a slower, more intimate look at the thousands of objects. The items are not individually labeled; instead, they are arranged in a dense, continuous flow, creating a mesmerizing tapestry of history that feels like a cross-section of the Amstel Riverbed itself. You can expect to be captivated by the sheer volume of the finds, from pottery and bone to metal and glass, all telling the silent stories of Amsterdam’s past.
Online: The entire project is also a powerful digital experience. The belowthesurface.amsterdam website serves as an extensive online archive where you can explore more than 20,000 of the cataloged finds. You can search for specific objects, zoom in on their intricate details, and even create your own virtual display cases. It’s the perfect way to get a closer look and learn the stories behind the artifacts that make up Amsterdam’s unique history.
Amsterdam is a city with a rich history, and the “Below the Surface” project is a fantastic example of how that history is literally layered beneath our feet. While its focus on specific, everyday finds from a single excavation is unique, several other museums in the city offer similar deep dives into Amsterdam’s past and the wider world of archaeology.
Here are a few places you might want to visit for a similar experience:
- Allard Pierson Museum: This is the archaeological museum of the University of Amsterdam and is the most direct parallel to the Rokin station’s exhibit. It houses a vast collection of artifacts from ancient civilizations—including Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Near East—with a permanent exhibition called “From the Nile to the Amstel.” The museum links these ancient cultures to the foundations of Western civilization, showing how they connect to Amsterdam’s own history. A highlight for visitors is the “ArcheoHotSpot,” a hands-on lab where you can watch archaeologists at work and even help them sort through recent finds.
- Amsterdam Museum: While not strictly an archaeological museum, this is the definitive place to understand the history of the city. The museum’s collection spans centuries of Amsterdam life, from its medieval origins as a small settlement on the Amstel River to its Golden Age of trade and its modern-day status as a global hub. You’ll find exhibits that showcase the social, economic, and cultural development of Amsterdam, providing the broader context for the individual artifacts you saw at Rokin. The museum is a perfect companion to the “Below the Surface” experience.
- Museum of the Canals (Het Grachtenhuis): If the foundation and infrastructure of Amsterdam’s history fascinates you, this museum is an excellent choice. Housed in a magnificent canal house, it tells the story of how the city’s famous ring of canals was created. It provides a fascinating look at the engineering and social history behind the city’s iconic waterways, which were built on the same riverbed where the Rokin artifacts were found.
While these museums offer the best comparison in Amsterdam, it’s worth noting that the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) is another great option for archaeology, though it is located in the nearby city of Leiden. It is the national center for archaeology in the Netherlands and has an impressive collection that includes prehistoric and Roman-era finds from Dutch soil.