Visit From Kroon to Amsterdam has a long history.
Today, let's take a look back at one of the city's best-known cafés.
From Kroon to Amsterdam: article summary
From Kroon to Amsterdam: at a glance
The establishment is housed in a building built at the end of the 19ᵉ century to designs by architect Gerrit van Arkel.
The café in the building was called "De Kroon".probably because Wilhelmina was crowned Queen of the Netherlands the month it opened.
Until the mid-1970s, the building housed the Café-Restaurant De Kroon. The upper floors were used as a central hall for gatherings. such as meetings and student courses.
In the 1950s and 1960s, De Kroon hosted several prestigious chess tournaments. The café became a popular landmark.
The arrival of the Caransa shopping mall
In late 1965, it was announced that real estate developer Maup Caransa had made an offer for the restoration company that owned the building.
Caransa succeeded in acquiring ownership of the building, as well as the neighboring properties. He had big plans for the Rembrandtplein.
He built a hotel (the Caransa Hotel, still in existence today) and a new cinema.
The first floor of the Kroon was then transformed into a a shopping arcade with small boutiques and a dining room.
The mall was inaugurated on October 20, 1967. However, the initiative turned out to be a major fiasco.
Drug addicts and prostitutes had taken possession of the premises, which prevented it from becoming the chic shopping district Caransa had in mind.
From Kroon to Amsterdam: the media center
The first floor became a restaurant again in the 1980s. The Pinoccio Italian restaurant is located on the first floor. The restaurant remained there until the 1990s.
In 1985, contractor Maurits de Vries was asked to build a palace on the top floor to replace the Casa Rosso which burned down in 1983. However, the project never opened its doors.
In 1988, a media center was built in De Kroon. This was achieved thanks to a collaboration between Sky Channel Media and Caransa.
Several local TV channels, including Salto and Migranten Television Amsterdam (MTV), have set up shop in the building.
Since 1992, the "Hoeksteen live!" TV show has been broadcast from the building every third Saturday of the month.
Even today, the café is a place where people gather to enjoy a hot drink or a beer.
An exceptional building
The building shows signs of Art Nouveau. Various stained-glass scenes can be seen on the front facade, with the one on the tower depicting a crown.
This crown is also always present on the advertising on the roof. Other signs of Art can be found in :
- Stained glass windows in dormer windows
- Front door decorations
- Balcony railings
What are the opening hours?
You can visit De Kroon in Amsterdam:
- Sunday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
- Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.
De Kroon in Amsterdam is a typical Dutch establishment. When you stop off here, you'll discover an exciting, historic café that has been on the premises for over 100 years. What make your trip to Amsterdam unique!
What to do in Amsterdam in 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 5 days, a week?
Whatever the length of your stay, I invite you to download my special Amsterdam guide.
It's free and in PDF format.
All you have to do is tell me below which e-mail address you'd like to receive it at.
EDIT: you can't enter your email?
Take the quiz at the top of this article and you'll be able to register your email address to receive the special Amsterdam guide!
Leave a Reply