Dutch specialty cafe Amsterdam Snel

Automatically change to the Snel of the bar or coffee shop as needed, showing the economy of the Dutch.

Amsterdam Snel

-stuck in prison, drinking coffee.

Snel stands in the Lloyd Hotel in Eastern Docklands, the cultural community of Xintuo, Amsterdam, overlooking the artificial island residential area and long Island area near the sea. In 1918, the Netherlands became a labor export center for poor European immigrants to work in the United States. at that time, it was built to allow an influx of Europeans to stay temporarily in hotels and to provide medical examination and vaccination services. after passing the medical examination, take a ship to the United States from the nearby dock. Until the second World War was occupied by the Germans, the building became a prison.

The Dutch municipal government repossessed the building after the war, although it has an unglamorous history, but it plans to open up a new cultural community here and invite architects to make suggestions. Finally, in 1999, the municipal government divided the building into two parts, and the original condition was restored to today's hotel and the first floor cafe Snel occupies a building, the coffee shop runs through all parts of the building, leading to another embassy cultural section. Two different forms of communities coexist harmoniously, showing the careful, free and open personality of the Dutch.

In Snel, it is not possible to sit quietly and enjoy coffee, as guests can explore the perimeter of the prison on a self-help basis. In the prison and detention center established in 1940, the layout of the staircase corridor seen today still permeates the awe-inspiring atmosphere and makes people hold their breath. The "furniture moves at will" room designed by MVRDV, a famous Dutch construction company, is not as spooky as the private cells where criminals were held in the past. Picking up the transparent staircase and going back to the Snel on the first floor, the building shows a sense of simplicity, cleanness and anachronism. The top of the clock tower in the original atrium is torn down to collect the natural light position of the patio. The translucent staircase works magic, shuttling back and forth to explore the meaning of the existence of architecture.