The Amsterdam Dungeon, in the city of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, follows a similar format to the

London Dungeon The London Dungeon is a tourist attraction along London's South Bank, England, which recreates various gory and macabre historical events in a gallows humour style. It uses a mixture of live actors, special effects and rides. History The Lo ...

York Dungeon York Dungeon is a tourist attraction in York, England. York Dungeon depicts history of the dungeon using actor led shows, special effects and displays of models and objects. The York Dungeons reopened in March 2013 after a period of closure du ...

Berlin Dungeon Berlin Dungeon is a tourist attraction from a chain including the London Dungeon and Hamburg Dungeon. It provides a journey through Berlin's dark history in an actor led, interactive experience. There are both German and English shows and the a ...

and

Hamburg Dungeon Built in 2000, the Hamburg Dungeon is a tourist attraction from a chain including the London Dungeon and Berlin Dungeon. It is the first of this brand to be built in mainland Europe. It provides a journey through Hamburg’s dark history in ...

which are owned and operated by UK-based

Merlin Entertainments Merlin Entertainments Limited is a British entertainment company based at Poole in Dorset, England. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until November 2019, when it was acquired by a consortium that includes Kirkbi A/S (the investment a ...

and attempts to show history through an interactive adventure. Live actors, a ride, shows and special effects simulate historical dark and bleak times, it was first opened in September 2005.

Attractions

* Torture Chamber: The Torture Chamber is the most graphically implied exhibit in the entire Dungeon. The (female) torturers line up the 'prisoners' against a wall and pick out a young male visitor for the demonstration. The visitor is strapped in to a chair surrounded by torture devices, such as the dreaded

appendage An appendage (or outgrowth) is an external body part, or natural prolongation, that protrudes from an organism's body. In arthropods, an appendage refers to any of the homologous body parts that may extend from a body segment, including anten ...

cutter, the torturer places the appendage cutter near the male's groin and 'demonstrates' the device 'inch by inch'. * VOC: An 18th century dockside bar teaches about press ganging of locals to join the nautical trading firm the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

(VOC). They are then ambushed and forced on board a replica ship where they are forced to work for the captain

Piet Heyn Piet Pieterszoon Hein (25 November 1577 – 18 June 1629) was a Dutch admiral and privateer for the Dutch Republic during the Eighty Years' War. Hein was the first and the last to capture a large part of a Spanish treasure fleet which tra ...

and fight the Spanish. * Ship's Doctor: Looks at ship's doctor's surgery where the surgeon gives witness of the brutalities of 18th century field surgery at sea. * Council of Blood: A short film about the terror brought the Netherlands by the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...

in the 16th century. An Inquisition court is then held similar to the

Judgement of Sinners Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct uses. Aristotle ...

show in the UK, but the ‘Inquisitor’ is more menacing with his humour. * Ghosts: Using atmospheric special effects to animate the ghost story of a woman convicted as a witch in the 16th century and brutally tortured before being burned at

Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. Location and description ...

. * Labyrinth of Lost Amsterdam: A disorientating and eerie mirror maze themed around the winding, disorientating streets of Amsterdam. * The Great Plague: A recreation of the streets of plague ravaged Amsterdam street, where the devastating effect the killer disease had in the city in 1664 is vividly animated. * Reaper: Drop Ride to Doom, is a MACK Rides e-Motion

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...

that winds around a real 13th century church. Themed upon the

Grim Reaper Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...

legend, it provides a finale to the Dungeon experience. The ride has been closed since 1/5/2014 and will not reopen.

Parent company

The Amsterdam Dungeon also has sister sites in the

Edinburgh Dungeon The Edinburgh Dungeon is an underground tourist attraction in Edinburgh's city centre, on East Market Street, which uses live actor shows and interactive rides to show various historical events from Scottish history in a scary fun style, with au ...

and

. Each Dungeon is based on the same theme but investigates the history of its own local area. The Dungeons are owned by

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

-based

External links

The Amsterdam Dungeon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amsterdam Dungeon Buildings and structures in Amsterdam Tourist attractions in Amsterdam Merlin Entertainments Group