“It is the beginning of a new era, an exciting new future for the National Museum of the Netherlands,”

With Amid brass bands, daytime fireworks, a salute from the Royal Dutch KLM Dakota PH-PBA: ‘a 1940 vintage Dakota DC-3 plane’, 35,000-strong crowd gathered, more then 600 journalists from 700 countries, the Netherlands’ Queen Beatrix today officially reopened the Rijksmuseum, the country’s national museum, after a 10-year, 375 million euro ($480 million) renovation (BBC4 – A Night at the Rijksmuseum) (VIDEO) (AFP) (NTD) (BBC) (AlJazeeraEnglish) (ABCDailyNews). The Rijksmuseum, originally designed by Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers, and opened in 1885 has been radically modernized by Spanish architects Cruz y Ortiz (TRAILER). Home to one of the world’s most celebrated collections of art and historical artifacts will welcome visitors 365 days a year. The new-look Rijksmuseum showcases 8,000 works of art spanning 800 years of Dutch history and are displayed chronologically. The walking route through all 80 galleries is 1.5km long (VIDEO). Thousands attended the ceremony today and poured into the museum, eager to reacquaint themselves with old favorites including Rembrandt’s “Night Watch,” Vermeer’s “Milkmaid,” and Frans Hals’ “Merry Drinker,” or to catch a glimpse of new highlights: An Yves Saint Laurent “Mondrian” dress, a 16th Century sculpture of the “Mater Dolorosa,” or a war plane dating to 1917. Also visit the newly refurbished Stedelijk Museum of modern and contemporary art in Amsterdam. It currently has the largest exhibition of American artist Mike Kelley ever organized (VIDEO). Amsterdam will celebrate several milestones and anniversaries this year like the 175 years of the Artis Royal Zoo and the 400th anniversary of the Canal Ring. For the full 2013 programme go here. (photo credit: Erik Smits and Rijksmuseum)