Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer in Alkmaar
Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer is an intimate stage behind an antiquarian bookshop at Ritsevoort 36 in Alkmaar, with about 100 places, a reading café and a programme of literature, music, theatre and debate.
Photo credits
The neo-renaissance facade of the municipal monument at Ritsevoort 34-36 in Alkmaar, home of Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer.: Dqfn13 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped
Quick answers
- Address
- Ritsevoort 36, 1811 DP Alkmaar
- Address
- Ritsevoort 361811 DP Alkmaar
- Salon hall
- About 100 places
- Nearest garage
- De Singel, 3 min walk
- From Alkmaar station
- 18 min walk, or bus 8/9/163/167 to Nassaulaan
- Bookshop
- Tue-Sat, 11:00-17:00
- Tickets
- Per event, mostly € 10-€ 20
- Contact
- 072 582 20 40
Lecture at Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer: upcoming events
Tonight, this week and the months ahead at this venue in Alkmaar.
Last night at Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer: Jan Roobeek / Vive la Chanson! (Series)
November 2026
December 2026
January 2027
February 2027
Plan your visit to Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer
How many people does De Alkenaer hold? About 100 in the salon hall
The salon at the back of the building holds about 100 people for a performance, making De Alkenaer one of Alkmaar's smallest stages.
- Salon hall
- About 100
- Private hire
- About 90
- Comparison
- Sportpaleis 4,750; AFAS 17,023
There is one programme room: the salon, with a theatre stage and about 100 places. The bookshop is at the front of the building, so the audience and the books share the same address but not the same room.
At about 100, the salon is a fraction of the city's large venues: Sportpaleis Alkmaar holds 4,750 and the AFAS Stadion 17,023. The comparison shows the scale rather than the competition; De Alkenaer's programme is built for closeness.
For private hire the venue gives a capacity of about 90, a little lower than the programme figure.
| Venue | Type | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer | Literary and music salon | About 100 |
| Sportpaleis Alkmaar | Sports and event arena | 4,750 |
| AFAS Stadion | Football stadium | 17,023 |
Seating at De Alkenaer: one hall, general admission, no seat map
The salon is the only programme room; the venue publishes no numbered seat plan and sells tickets without seat selection, so a ticket gets you a place in the room rather than a specific seat.
Programme room
Salon hall
Places
About 100
Seat map
None published
Private hire
About 90
The hall has about 100 places and a theatre stage. Because no numbered seating plan or seat selection is published, arriving when the doors open is the practical way to choose a place.
The ticket page sells a quantity of tickets without seat selection; it does not show a seat map.
For private hire the venue gives a capacity of about 90.
What's on at De Alkenaer: literary evenings, music, theatre and debate
De Alkenaer programmes its own season of literary evenings, music, theatre, cabaret and debate, usually several times a week from autumn to summer.
The agenda mixes series with one-offs: chanson evenings, author talks, philosophy and current affairs, cabaret try-outs, coffee concerts and Sunday matinees. The programme is published in Dutch on the venue's agenda.
Evening programmes usually start at 20:00 or 20:15 and finish between 22:00 and 22:30. Sunday matinees usually run from 15:00 to 17:00, and coffee concerts from 10:30 to 12:30. Doors open about 30 minutes before the start.
Tickets are sold per event through the agenda, with recent prices from € 10 for a storytelling or games evening to € 20 for a philosophy evening. Some events are marked sold out, so book ahead if you have a particular evening in mind.
- Typical evening
- 20:00 or 20:15, ends 22:00-22:30
- Sunday matinee
- 15:00-17:00
- Coffee concert
- 10:30-12:30
- Doors
- About 30 minutes before
- Tickets
- € 10-€ 20
- The event page gives the exact start time, price and welcome time; the agenda is the place to check before you travel.
Coffee and tea at De Alkenaer's reading café
The reading café serves organic coffee, cappuccino and tea among the books; it is a café for a drink and a newspaper rather than a full restaurant.
The café is in the salon, the room that also hosts the performances, and it can close when a show is on. It is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:00 to 15:00. The bookshop keeps longer hours, Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 to 17:00.
The reading table has newspapers, magazines and international titles, and the room has soft background music. It is a quiet place to work or read, surrounded by the bookshop's shelves.
The café's published offer is coffee, cappuccino and tea; no food menu is published.
- Café days
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday
- Café hours
- 11:00-15:00
- Bookshop
- Tue-Sat, 11:00-17:00
- Drinks
- Organic coffee, cappuccino and tea
- The café can close for a performance, so check the agenda before making a special trip.
Accessibility at De Alkenaer: a MIVA toilet, and a team to ask about other needs
The hire page lists a MIVA toilet (an accessible toilet). It does not describe step-free access, a lift or an accessible entrance, so contact the team before your visit if you need those.
That is the only access facility the page names. The venue is in a monument, and the page does not describe the route from the street to the salon, the width of the doors or the condition of the floor.
If you use a wheelchair, have limited mobility or need another adjustment, contact De Alkenaer before you book so the team can explain what is possible and help you plan.
- Accessible toilet
- MIVA toilet available
Getting to De Alkenaer: 18 minutes on foot from Alkmaar station
De Alkenaer is at Ritsevoort 36, a short walk from the bus stops on the Nassaulaan and about 18 minutes on foot from Alkmaar station.
From Alkmaar station, take bus 8, 9, 163 or 167 to Nassaulaan; the walk from there is 4 minutes. Metiusgracht is also on the same lines, with a 3-minute walk. Buses 4, 10, 123, 129, 160, 162, 350 and N60 stop at Kanaalkade, 10 minutes away.
The walk from the station is 1,280 m, about 18 minutes at an easy pace. Evening events end by 22:30; check the NS travel app and the regional travel planner for the last train or bus back before you travel.
Parking near De Alkenaer: five garages within an 11-minute walk
The closest garage is De Singel, 3 minutes away; Grote Kerk, De Vest, Noordwest Ziekenhuis and Kanaalschiereiland are also within walking distance.
De Singel (also called the Singelgarage) is the obvious choice: 180 m from the door, open 24 hours, € 1,99 per hour and a maximum evening rate of € 2,80 on weekdays. Grote Kerk is 4 minutes away but costs € 2,40 per hour, with a day maximum of € 17,50. De Vest and Kanaalschiereiland charge the same hourly rate as De Singel and are 7 and 11 minutes' walk.
OpenStreetMap lists a second Singelgarage entry at 430 m or 6 minutes; it is the same underground garage under the Molen van Piet, so the table lists it once. The Noordwest Ziekenhuis garage is the fifth distinct garage, 730 m or 10 minutes away, at Wilhelminalaan 12; its page gives 24/7 opening but no tariff and warns that it is often full, so check the rate on arrival.
The rates are the garages' published tariffs. Check the tariff on the machine on arrival; the operator notes that rates can change.
| Garage | Address | Walk | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Singel (Singelgarage) | Korte Vondelstraat 4, 1811 AE | 180 m, 3 min | € 1,99/h; evening max € 2,80 (Mon-Fri) |
| Grote Kerk | Bagijnenstraat 13-15, 1811 KA | 300 m, 4 min | € 2,40/h; day max € 17,50 |
| De Vest | Canadaplein 2, 1811 KG | 510 m, 7 min | € 1,99/h; evening max € 2,80 (Mon-Fri) |
| Noordwest Ziekenhuis | Wilhelminalaan 12, Alkmaar | 730 m, 10 min | Tariff not published; check on arrival |
| Kanaalschiereiland | Mallegatsplein 1, 1815 AG | 790 m, 11 min | € 1,99/h; evening max € 2,80 (Mon-Fri) |
- De Singel
- 180 m, 3 min; € 1,99/h
- Grote Kerk
- 300 m, 4 min; € 2,40/h
- De Vest
- 510 m, 7 min; € 1,99/h
- Noordwest Ziekenhuis
- 730 m, 10 min; tariff not published
- Kanaalschiereiland
- 790 m, 11 min; € 1,99/h
- De Singel, De Vest, Kanaalschiereiland and Noordwest Ziekenhuis are open 24 hours a day; check Grote Kerk's opening hours before you drive. The weekday evening maximum of € 2,80 applies at De Singel, De Vest and Kanaalschiereiland from 18:00 to midnight, Monday to Friday; Grote Kerk has a day maximum and Noordwest does not publish a tariff.
Hiring the salon: a stage, a Bechstein grand piano and room for about 90
The salon is available for private events, with a theatre stage, a projector and screen, and a 108-year-old Bechstein grand piano.
- Private hire
- About 90
- Stage
- Theatre stage
- Piano
- 108-year-old Bechstein grand
- Presentation
- Projector and screen
- Acoustics
- Books around the room
Contact and opening hours of De Alkenaer
De Alkenaer is at Ritsevoort 36 in Alkmaar; the bookshop is open Tuesday to Saturday and the reading café on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Visit address
- Ritsevoort 36, 1811 DP Alkmaar
- Postal address
- Louise de Colignystraat 15, 1814 JA
- Phone
- 072 582 20 40
- [email protected]
- Bookshop
- Tue-Sat, 11:00-17:00
- Café
- Mon, Wed, Fri, 11:00-15:00
Official links
What is De Alkenaer? A bookshop, a stage and a reading café in one monument
De Alkenaer combines an antiquarian bookshop, a cultural podium and a reading café in a municipal monument on the Ritsevoort.
The shop at Ritsevoort 36 is a fixture in Alkmaar: book lovers have found their way here since the 1980s, and the facade carries the year 1892. Behind the bookshop is a salon with a theatre stage and about 100 places; Stichting Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer has run the cultural programme here since February 2023.
The programme is broad rather than blockbuster-scale: theatre, cabaret, music, literature, interviews, debates and exhibitions, usually several times a week. In the same salon the venue runs a reading café with organic coffee, newspapers and a quiet place to work; the bookshop stocks about 25,000 books, with another 10,000 online.
The scale is the point. You are close to the stage and the books, and an evening feels like a gathering rather than a production. The building is a municipal monument, and the bookshop, café and hall share one address.
The building at Ritsevoort 36: a facade from 1892, a podium since 2023
The ornate facade carries the year 1892, but the address has been a shop for longer; an antiquarian has been here since around 1974 and De Alkenaer's cultural programme since February 2023.
The facade carries the year 1892; the shop on this spot is older, and the front was renewed in a richer style with neo-renaissance and neo-Gothic details. In the twentieth century the address held a paint and household goods shop and a plumbing supplies business.
An antiquarian first settled here around 1974, and at the end of the 1980s it became Antiquariaat De Alkenaer. Since February 2023 Stichting Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer has run the building as a cultural podium, with the bookshop at the front and the salon at the back.
The building is a municipal monument, and the venue's own history article traces the shopkeepers who worked here before the books.
- Facade
- 1892
- Antiquarian
- Around 1974
- Bookshop
- End of the 1980s
- Podium
- February 2023
- Monument
- Municipal monument
Supporting De Alkenaer: adopt a chair, become a friend or donate
As a foundation, De Alkenaer invites visitors to support the project and the room.
Adopt
Chairs, lamps and other pieces
Also
Friends, donations and partnerships
Status
ANBI foundation
Photos
Photo credits
The neo-renaissance facade of the municipal monument at Ritsevoort 34-36 in Alkmaar, home of Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer.: Dqfn13 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped
The salon hall of De Alkenaer, set up with chairs and a stage.: De Alkenaer
The reading café of De Alkenaer in the salon, among the books.: De Alkenaer
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Frequently asked questions about De Alkenaer
The questions visitors ask most about De Alkenaer, from times and tickets to parking and the bookshop.
Where is De Alkenaer in Alkmaar?
At Ritsevoort 36, 1811 DP Alkmaar, in the old centre. The visit address is the bookshop and theatre; the foundation's postal address is Louise de Colignystraat 15, 1814 JA Alkmaar.
What time do events start and finish at De Alkenaer?
Evening programmes usually start at 20:00 or 20:15 and finish between 22:00 and 22:30. Sunday matinees usually run from 15:00 to 17:00 and coffee concerts from 10:30 to 12:30. Doors open about 30 minutes before the start.
How many people fit in De Alkenaer?
About 100 in the salon; for private hire the venue gives a capacity of about 90.
Do I need to book tickets in advance?
Tickets are sold per event through the agenda. Some events are marked sold out, so book ahead if you have a particular evening in mind.
How much are tickets for De Alkenaer?
Prices are set per event; recent tickets ran from € 10 for a storytelling or games evening to € 20 for a philosophy evening. The event page shows the price and availability.
Is there parking at De Alkenaer?
There is no car park at the venue. De Singel is the closest garage, 180 m or 3 minutes away, at € 1,99 per hour with a weekday evening maximum of € 2,80. Grote Kerk, De Vest and Kanaalschiereiland are also within an 11-minute walk. Noordwest Ziekenhuis is 730 m or 10 minutes away, but its tariff is not published, so check on arrival.
How do I get to De Alkenaer by public transport?
From Alkmaar station, buses 8, 9, 163 and 167 stop at Nassaulaan, 4 minutes' walk away; Metiusgracht is 3 minutes away. Buses 4, 10, 123, 129, 160, 162, 350 and N60 stop at Kanaalkade, 10 minutes away. The station itself is an 18-minute walk.
Can I eat at De Alkenaer?
The reading café serves organic coffee, cappuccino and tea; no full restaurant menu is published. It is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:00 to 15:00 and can close for a performance.
Is De Alkenaer accessible for visitors with disabilities?
The hire page lists a MIVA toilet (an accessible toilet). It does not describe step-free access, a lift or an accessible entrance, so contact the venue before you book if you need those; the team can explain what is possible.
When is the bookshop open?
Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 to 17:00. The reading café keeps shorter hours.
Can I hire the salon at De Alkenaer?
Yes. The salon has a theatre stage, a projector and screen, a 108-year-old Bechstein grand piano and a capacity of about 90 for private events. Enquiries go through the contact page.
What is the history of the building?
The facade carries the year 1892, but a shop stood here earlier. An antiquarian has been at the address since around 1974, and the cultural podium opened in February 2023 in a municipal monument.
How can I support De Alkenaer?
You can adopt a piece of the room, such as a chair or a lamp, become a friend, donate or discuss a partnership. The foundation is an ANBI.
Do I get a numbered seat?
The venue publishes no seat map and sells tickets without seat selection. The salon has about 100 places and a theatre stage; arriving when the doors open is the practical way to choose a place.
Can I buy books at De Alkenaer?
Yes, the antiquarian bookshop at the front stocks about 25,000 books, with 10,000 more titles online.
Sources: Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer: over de Alkenaer (October 30, 2026) · Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer: agenda (October 30, 2026) · Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer: podium (October 30, 2026) · OpenStreetMap: haltes, looptijden en garages rond Ritsevoort 36 (October 30, 2026) · Parkeren Alkmaar: parkeergarage De Singel (October 30, 2026) · Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer: leescafé (October 30, 2026) · Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer: verhuur (October 30, 2026) · Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer: de geschiedenis van Ritsevoort 36 (October 30, 2026) · Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer: adopteer de Alkenaer (October 30, 2026) · Cultuurpodium De Alkenaer: contact en openingstijden (October 30, 2026)
