Body Worlds in Amsterdam | If you want to bring back an unforgettable experience from your trip to Amsterdam, you should visit the Body Worlds exhibition. In an imposing building in the city’s centre, you can view the exhibits of the physician and anatomy expert Gunther von Hagen.
This varied and exciting exhibition provides detailed insights into the permanently preserved bodies of deceased people, revealing their innermost being. A medical marvel is exposed to the viewer.
One of the eight Body Worlds exhibitions worldwide can be seen in the Dutch capital. The individual locations are dedicated to different focal points, with the show in Amsterdam specialising in happiness.
What do happiness and unhappiness do to our bodies? The exhibition in Amsterdam explores this question and traces the influence of emotions on our bodily functions and daily life.
For some years now, the prepared bodies have become a real crowd-puller. Body Worlds is one of the most successful exhibitions in the world and is not to be missed.
Body Worlds Amsterdam opening hours
The Body Worlds permanent exhibition in Amsterdam is open all year round. This also applies to traditional public holidays such as Christmas, New Year and Easter.
The only exception is King’s Day, 27 April. The museum will be closed on this day.
| Day | Opening hours | Last admission |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Sunday | 11:00 am to 7:00 pm | 6:00 pm |
| Holidays and public holidays | 11::00 am to 7.00 pm | 6:00 pm |
What is unique about the bodies on display?
The initiator of the exhibition, Gunther von Hagen, developed a technique in the 1970s with which he was able to prepare and permanently preserve human bodies. He replaces water and fat with plastic and silicone materials to keep each body part. This process is known as plastination. By revealing the inside of the body, exciting and previously unknown insights can be gained.
The procedure is complicated and time-consuming. Organs, muscles, and tendons must be exposed under the skin and fatty tissue and individually dissected, positioned and fixed in place; a demanding, time-consuming procedure that only specialists with extensive anatomical knowledge and a high degree of skill can master. Preparing a single body usually takes more than 1000 hours of labour.
The specimens are used in medicine as research objects and are established teaching aids for the education of students. However, the plastinates are equally suitable as illustrative material for the general public interested in the anatomy of the human body.
The first exhibition of Gunther von Hagens body exhibits took place in Japan in 1995, followed two years later by the German exhibition of Body Worlds in the city of Mannheim.
Over time, the exhibits have been steadily expanded with the help of a donor system in which more than 13,000 body donors are currently registered.
Admission prices and tickets for Body Worlds Amsterdam
Body Worlds is a trendy exhibition everywhere. In addition, due to its central location in Amsterdam’s city centre and often also in bad weather, there are longer waiting times at the entrance due to increased visitors. Therefore, as with many other sights in Amsterdam, buying tickets online in advance is better.
These tickets also give you priority access here. Presenting the ticket code on your smartphone is sufficient as an admission ticket.
| Body Worlds | Price * | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | 22.50 € | Book Online |
| Teenagers 6-17 years | 13.50 € | Book Online |
| Children 0-5 years | Free | Book Online |
Some City Passes, such as the Amsterdam Pass from Tiqets, include a discount code that offers a 10% discount when booking an admission ticket for Körperwelten and other attractions.
► Saving tip: The combination ticket Body Worlds & Canal Cruise or Body Worlds & Ripley’s Unbelievable But True is good value for visitors with children or teenagers. For older teenagers, Body Worlds + Amsterdam Dungeon is probably more suitable.
For visitors who use a wheelchair, walking aid, or mobility scooter, the exhibition is fully accessible except for a small section in the basement.
What can you visit?
The journey of discovery through the human body begins on the seventh floor of the building. From floor to floor, visitors delve deeper into the secrets of the human body, deepen their knowledge, and recognize connections that were previously unknown or inexplicable to them.
The donors’ bodies are prepared for the project under various anatomical aspects after death and made accessible to the public. The viewer experiences a unique, authentic journey of discovery through the body. The concept and realisation of the Körperwelten exhibition received the Health Media Award for Best Health Communication in 2015.
Once on the ground floor, everyone is more brilliant after visiting the exhibition, and the secret of a happy life is revealed a little.
The Happiness Project at the exhibition in Amsterdam explores the secret of a happy life and its effects on the body using more than two hundred sculptured exhibits.
How do vulnerability and resilience develop, and what can habits, such as smoking, do to our bodies? Whether an interested person or a medical professional, the viewer learns about complex interrelationships between organs and the effects of external influences on the body.
The diversity of the different body specimens, characterised by anatomical peculiarities or diseases, reveals never-before-seen connections and impressions to visitors that they will not soon forget.
Is it worth visiting the exhibition?
Visitors to the Body Worlds exhibition in Amsterdam are sure to feel a sense of happiness after this unusual journey of discovery for some time to come, and one or two of them will probably plan their next trip to another Body Worlds location.
The exhibition also offers a welcome change for families with children in particular, with something for every age group. Nobody will be bored or left out because everyone will discover a niche of interest and find something they have always wanted to know.
Location and directions
The exact address of the Körperwelten Happiness Project is Damrak 66, 1012 LM Amsterdam.
✓ This is right in the city centre and only a 5-minute walk from Amsterdam Central Station. The connection runs along the city’s main thoroughfare, the Damrak.
For public transport users, the nearest tram stop is Dam / De Bijenkorf, where trams 4, 9, 16 and 24 stop. From here, it is only a 1-minute walk to the exhibition building. It is about 5 minutes to tram lines 1, 2, 5, 13, 14, and 17, which stop at the Dam tram stop (in front of Magna Plaza).
Drivers can find parking spaces in the Q-Parks De Bijenkorf, Beursplein 15 and de Kolk, Nieuwezijds Kolk 18, or read my article Parking in Amsterdam.
Attractions in the surrounding area
Its central location and proximity to many other great attractions in the canal city make it easy to combine visits. Within an 8-minute walk of the Body Worlds Museum you can reach the imposing Royal Palace, the Amsterdam Museum, the Madame Tussauds wax museum or the Dungeon Amsterdam scary show.
*All prices stated in this article are subject to change. The current price of the supplier always applies.
