Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum carries a heavy, ornate facade of red brick and sandstone, punctuated by a massive central archway that functions as a public street for cyclists and pedestrians alike. Pierre Cuypers designed this building in the eighteen eighties to house the nation’s art, but his heavily gothic, cathedral-like aesthetic infuriated the Protestant establishment of the time. They famously criticized the museum for looking too much like a Catholic church, leading King William the Third to refuse to attend the grand opening.