Amsterdam’s Snel: A Coffee Spot in a Former Prison

Looking for a coffee shop that’s more than just a place to sip espresso? Snel in Amsterdam offers a jolt of history along with your flat white—served inside a building that once locked people away during World War II. This isn’t your average café backstory.

Snel is a specialty coffee café located on the ground floor of the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam’s Eastern Docklands. Housed in a building that served as a prison from 1940 until after WWII, it now operates as both a cultural space and a working café with direct views over artificial islands and the harbor.

A Building with Two Lives

The structure that now houses Snel was originally built in 1918 as temporary housing for European emigrants heading to America. It included medical checks and vaccinations before departure from a nearby dock. During WWII, the German occupiers converted it into a prison and detention center. After the war, the Dutch government regained the building and, rather than demolish it, transformed it into a cultural hub. In 1999, the site was split: part became the Lloyd Hotel, and the ground floor was given to Snel café.

Architecture That Tells a Story

Snel is integrated into a building designed for flexible use. The space is notable for its open layout, with transparent staircases and semi-transparent materials that create an almost otherworldly flow through the structure. The original central clock tower was removed to allow more natural light into the atrium. The café itself connects various parts of the building and leads toward the neighboring cultural embassy offices. Dutch firm MVRDV contributed to the adaptable “furniture-on-wheels” room concept, though the real conversation piece remains the former prison’s haunting corridors and cells.

Experience the Space

Unlike a conventional café where you sit and sip in silence, Snel invites exploration. Visitors can wander the former prison areas at their own pace. The atmospheric stairwells and remaining cell-like spaces still carry an eerie weight, offering a stark contrast to the clean, modern lines of the redesigned common areas. The café serves as both a literal and metaphorical gateway between Amsterdam’s past and present.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Snel café located?

Snel is located on the ground floor of the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam’s Eastern Docklands, a neighborhood known for its modern cultural developments. The café offers views toward the city’s artificial island housing developments and the harbor.

What was the building before it became a café?

Before becoming a café, the building served as temporary emigrant housing in 1918, then as a Nazi prison and detention center during World War II. It was later repurposed by the Dutch government into a cultural space, with Snel opening on the ground floor in 1999.

Does Snel have any historical significance?

Yes. Snel is located in a building that was used as a prison from 1940 until after the Second World War. The café retains the building’s original layout, including stairwells and cell remnants, adding a historical layer to the coffee experience.

Who designed the current layout of the Lloyd Hotel and Snel?

The overall adaptive reuse project was led by various architects, with notable contributions from Dutch firm MVRDV, particularly for the flexible “furniture-on-wheels” room concept. The building’s redesign into a cultural and hospitality space was finalized in 1999.

Can visitors explore the former prison areas at Snel?

Yes. The café’s open layout allows visitors to walk around and explore parts of the former prison, including its corridors and cells. It’s part of the spatial experience Snel offers alongside coffee service.

Is Snel part of a hotel?

Snel is located within the Lloyd Hotel complex, but it operates as an independent specialty coffee café on the ground floor. The hotel and café share the same building, which also connects to cultural embassy offices nearby.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Historic Café Sipping

Pair your visit to Amsterdam’s Snel with a bag of FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Huakui—bright, juicy, and complex, with notes of bergamot and blueberry, ideal for sipping in a space with deep history. For something earthier, try their PWN Golden Mandheling, offering classic Indonesian body with cinnamon and dark caramel. Or go balanced with Yirgacheffe, a floral and citrus-forward Ethiopian single origin. All three highlight the craft behind specialty coffee, much like Snel does with its space. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.