Heineken has been brewing beer for more than 150 years, all starting in Amsterdam. When this brewery was still active, people were already curious to learn more about the brewing process and they could follow a tour inside. Now, even though the brewing has stopped at this location, the Heineken Experience is still inviting guests inside the building to learn more about how it all started. To continue to do so, the monument must be maintained.
The popularity of the Heineken Experience has increased significantly during the last years. This can result in long queues outside the building, which cause an unsafe traffic situation on the Stadhouderskade. In order to welcome guests safely, maintain the monumental building and to better highlight the original brewery elements, it is necessary to renovate some parts of the Heineken Experience.
Guests will be able to enter the new entrance area without a ticket, visit the Store or purchase a separate ticket for the rooftop, even without taking the regular tour.
Entrance area & Logistics
The entrance and exit will remain on Stadhouderskade, but the current horse stables, located behind the brewery, will make place for a spacious entrance and exit hall. This way, the queue outside will be resolved. Next to improving our guests' experience, the entrance hall will also highlight the monumental facade and draw more attention to the copper kettles.
The logistics at the back of the brewery will be internally restructured, with the aim of making processes more efficient and improving the division of storage capacity.
Moutzolder & Rooftop
The original Moutzolder and rooftop are also important chapters in the brewers’ history but are currently not represented. By renovating these areas, the original functions of both spaces will be emphasised. The roof will be accessible to a wider public for the first time via an elevator in the entrance hall. It will take guests to the 6th floor where the Moutzolder is located, the room where the barley used to be processed. The Moutzolder will serve as a bar, from where guests have access to the roof. This brewery has witnessed the development of the Pijp over the years. For that reason, the rooftop holds the unique opportunity to exhibit how area YY has changed and what Heineken’s contribution has been to the City of Amsterdam, next to highlighting the brewery's functionalities, such as the monumental scale on the roof.
The current horse stables, located behind the brewery, will make place for a spacious entrance and exit hall.
Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought land outside the City of Amsterdam to build his first brewery in 1864.
This rural area would later develop into a big neighbourhood with the busy Stadhouderskade and a canal from where the beer would be transported and ingredients arrived, like the malted barley.
When the Heineken brewery on the Stadhouderskade was still in production, the Moutzolder on top of the building, was an important space at the start of the brewing process.
Boats used to transport ingredients via the canal. The malted barley was sucked up with a pipe that went underneath the street into the distribution machine of the Moutzolder.
The renovation will take approximately 14 months, starting in the summer of 2021. The timeline below roughly shows when which activities will take place and will be regularly updated during the process.
Start renovation
June 2021
Phase 1
June ‘21 - Dec ‘21
Phase 2
Jan ’22 - June ‘22
End renovation
Summer 2022
At the bottom of this page you will find additional questions and answers about the renovation. If you want to contact us, or request a brochure about the project, please send an e-mail and we will respond as soon as possible.
Email
renovation.experience@heineken.com
