The Rijksmuseum, home to one of the world's most celebrated collections of art and historical artifacts reopened Saturday after a 10-year, $489 million rebuilding project which saw many of its treasures travel the world while the gallery was closed. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands performed the opening ceremony in Amsterdam, one of her final official duties before she abdicates at the end of the month. Once open, the Rijksmuseum will welcome visitors 365 days a year. Thousands attended the ceremony and poured into the museum, eager to reacquaint themselves with old favorites including Rembrandt's "Night Watch," Vermeer's "Milkmaid," and Frans Hals' "Merry Drinker," or to catch a glimpse of new highlights: An Yves Saint Laurent "Mondrian" dress, a 16th Century sculpture of the "Mater Dolorosa," or a war plane dating to 1917.
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Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum reopens after a 10-year, $489 million rebuilding project
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Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands opens gallery -- one of her final duties before abdicating
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The new-look Rijksmuseum showcases 8,000 works of art spanning 800 years of Dutch history
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At its heart is Rembrandt's "Night Watch," which the original museum was built around
"When you enter the Rijksmuseum, you are transported into another world -- the world of @placeholder, of Vermeer and of Mondrian."