See Amsterdam like never before

The Open Tower Day will take place during the “Future Ten Days” event . It will take place on Saturday, June 14th. Peter van Ruijven is one of the organizers of this event and is looking for volunteers to help out on this date. 

Open Tower Day  is an annual event in Amsterdam where you get the chance to visit (almost) all of Amsterdam’s tallest buildings. More than 40 towers are currently participating. Many towers are not normally open to the public, but on this special day, you have the opportunity to enjoy the view.

You don’t just have a beautiful view to admire. There are also a variety of activities you can do in the towers. “People need to think, ‘Hey, that’s fun!'” says Peter.

Activities

In almost every tower, there’s an activity you can participate in. The Media College produces podcasts, they do a virtual reality tower presentation, and they’ve recorded tower sounds. There are lectures. “Why was a tower never built at the Nieuwe Kerk?” asks Peter. You’ll have to attend that lecture to find out.

Activities range from abseiling to drawing the towers or the view. The site opens on May 15th, and you can view all the activities and the corresponding towers there.

For volunteers

To make this day a success, Peter is looking for a large number of volunteers. In the morning, volunteers will go up a few times to guide people. In some towers, this means they’ll be taken up and shown the way, much like a guide. “You don’t necessarily have to say a lot, but it would be nice if you could share something about the tower.” In the afternoon, the volunteers play more of a host or hostess role: “you ask people if they’d like coffee or tea, point them to the activities, and help them find their way.”

“The great thing is that you can also participate in the activities as a volunteer,” says Peter. Everything is negotiable. Walking up and down the tower four times a morning can be quite strenuous, so doing something different in the afternoon is an option. Anyone with the “we’re going to make it a great day” attitude is welcome. A bit of fitness is helpful, especially with a tower that has stairs.

At least ten volunteers are needed. “More are always welcome,” says Peter. It’s just for one day, and internationals are welcome too. “It’s going to be a real treat for everyone.”

The day runs from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and volunteers are also invited to the exclusive opening night. It’s a unique location with fantastic views, speakers, and surprises. And of course, lunch will be provided on the day itself!

Interested and want to register? You can do so via this link !

How did it come about?

Henri van Pol, Salóme Willemsen, and Peter van Ruijven are the three organizers of the Open Tower Day. “Fifteen years ago, Henri got up and thought: it would be nice if that tower were open to the public for once,” says Peter. Henri lived next to the Zuiderkerk and turned this idea into reality.

Peter and Henri met at the Beurs van Berlage. Henri wrote a booklet, “1000 Questions about Amsterdam,” with ten questions about the National Maritime Museum. Peter worked there and was asked to answer these questions. That’s how they connected, and eleven years ago, Henri asked if he wanted to help organize it. That’s how their collaboration began!