's Lands Zeemagazijn

Construction started in 1655 after the Dutch lost the First Anglo-Dutch War and there was a dire need to professionalize the navy in order to protect the merchant fleet.

Some construction errors during the laying of the foundation plus the weight of the building and the peat soil of Amsterdam combined in a hazardous situation.

Instead of demolishing it and constructing a new arsenal in its place, the decision was made to plaster the building to imitate sandstone, creating the distinctive white look it has today.

After the French invasion in 1795, the Dutch Admiralty was disbanded and a national navy was formed; the function of the arsenal changed as well.

New additions to the building are the glass and steel roof, designed by Laurent Ney and based upon the lines of a compass on sea charts.