The museum organization

Introduction

The Amsterdam Pipe Museum originated from a private initiative and in a period of fifty years it has grown into what it is today: the most extensive collection of objects representing and illustrating the worldwide smoking culture. The history of this specialized museum has already been described in detail in the presentation on this website 'Our History'. You can read more about the special and especially extensive collection of the museum in the web presentations "Subcollections" and "Highlights".

In this web presentation, the museum shows something of the functioning behind the scenes. Responsible for the operations is the Pijpenkabinet Foundation, as the management foundation is originally called. The first chapter deals with the foundation's purpose, essentially preserving the heritage of the world's smoking culture. Board and employees are presented in the next chapter. The third section is devoted to policies and objectives over a four-year period. Finally, chapter four provides insight into the activities of recent years on the basis of the annual reports.

In short, the Pijpenkabinet Foundation was founded in Leiden in 1989. From that moment on, this foundation guarantees the management of the pipe museum. For example, the foundation ensured that the museum could be housed in Amsterdam in 1995 and could broaden its base from a private collection to a open and welcoming museum that meets all ICOM definitions. ICOM is the abbreviation for the International Council of Museums, the worldwide museum association that sets the standard for the museum.