In the hall of WOW an exhibition is on show with objects and photo’s about the history of the building of WOW: a former Polytechnical Highschool, and about the planning maps of the expansions of Amsterdam in the post war period.

If you are eager to explore Amsterdam, you should definitely also experience the modernist architecture of the sixties in Amsterdam New West.

In the Polytechnical Highschool you will feel the optimistic climate of the post war period. It’s the sensation of a spacious building made of concrete with large windows that provides so much light and fresh air. It’s the experience of the Dutch architectural concept of ‘licht, lucht en ruimte’.
Architect Christiaan Nielsen wanted to show the technical students how to create a perfect schoolbuilding. Today, after almost half a century, the school moved to another location and the building has been transformed into a hostel combined with an artist in residencey program, a restaurant, an urban farm and a cultural program.

The exhibition pays attention to the historical urban context, the urban extension plan by C. Van Eesteren, the architecture, but also to the former users; former students and teachers shared their memories and even brought their old technical relics to WOW..