Walking into Embassy of the Free Mind feels a bit like entering someone's home who shares his gigantic private library with the city. And that's right: the core of the museum is the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, founded by Joost R. Ritman. For years this was a closed collection, now the door is open and you can wander among the ancient knowledge yourself.
The collection revolves around Hermetic philosophy, alchemy, mysticism, Rosicrucians, Kabbalah, Freemasonry and related spiritual traditions. Some of the books and manuscripts are on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. You can tell by the way everything is presented: not as dusty showcases, but as a living knowledge base for anyone curious about the history of free thought.
The museum is in the House with the Heads, a seventeenth-century canal house built in 1622. You walk through historic period rooms where exhibitions are now built around symbolism, esotericism and man's search for meaning. The old beamed ceilings, tall windows and wooden floors make the setting pretty special; you can feel the Golden Age architecture while looking at prints, manuscripts and mysterious drawings.
The museum sits in the House with the Heads, a seventeenth-century canal house built in 1622.
In the garden behind the canal house you will find a symbolically landscaped area with alchemical and other references. Together with the café, this forms a quiet corner where you can let everything sink in after a lecture or museum tour. The combination of historic architecture, esoteric collection and public programs makes Embassy of the Free Mind a serious sanctuary for ideas, in the middle of the city.