As a jewelry designer I became a huge lover of all sorts of handmade art. Whenever I travel to foreign countries I seek opportunities to visit places that are famous for local handicraft.

So far my favorite one was the Triana district in Seville, Spain which is known for hosting artists that produce unbelievably beautiful unique ceramic items. Recently my personal top list have slightly changed after I had discovered a place that had delighted me to the same extent as Triana but had surprised me even more. Or actually, I think it was the entire city of Amsterdam that turned out to be a gigantic surprise for me.

Just as I got off the train I knew that I would be seeing masses of cyclists riding virtually everywhere. What I could hardly expect was how quiet this city would be. As I walked down the streets I scarcely saw a car nor heard the noise of vehicle engines. That wonderful silence in the heart of a city was something absolutely amazing. The only thing that stopped me from daydreaming was the need to look around carefully whenever I had to cross a bike lane. 

A number of cozy pubs and restaurants located on every corner was yet another surprise, not to mention dozens of cool vintage shops. Whenever I entered one of those I got the feeling that I would meet my granny again. Wonderful as it was.

What I left for a dessert was the extraordinary Museum of Bags and Purses – the largest of its kind in the whole world. The museum is located in a beautiful traditional canal house in the center of Amsterdam and proudly posses a collection of over 5,000 bags and purses dating back to the beginning of the seventienth century.

One can find there a great variety of beautiful bags manufactured with different materials and in different techniques like bags made of metal mesh or plastic, bags which were embroidered or trimed with lace, and many more.

Of course there were also dozens of evening bags...

...some of which were quite uncommon.


For me the real stunners were beaded bags.


Particularly the hundred-year-old one made of many thousands beads strung in the respective order and then assembled in such a way that they would build up an intended pattern.

I also got to know that women in those times inherited silver bag frames from their mothers thus passing them by from generation to generation just because these metal parts were extremely expensive then. 

Certainly the museum is not focused exclusively on very old products. There is also a plenty of items produced by contemporary fashion designers...

or bags that used to belong to celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor.

I must admit that I took a lot more pictures then these few which I present here but I don't want to spoil it up completely. If you are interested in design, a history of fashion, or if you love handmade accessories just like I do, then this museum is an absolute must-see during your trip to Amsterdam.