Fodor's Expert Review Felix Meritis Cultural Center

Following a three-year renovation, the restored home of the former Felix Meritus Society (Latin for "happiness through achievement") reopened in March 2020. Situated in a typical building of the Enlightenment—its Neoclassical architecture arose one year before the French Revolution, 1788—it once housed a society dedicated to the study and promotion of economics, science, painting, music, and literature. The building has an observatory and concert hall (Robert and Clara Schumann performed here twice). After the dissolution of the society in 1888, it was owned by printers, occupied by the Communist Party, and then became a venue for performing arts under the name Shaffy Theater. It's now a cultural center for "curious minds" with plays, films, readings, and debates. Drop by to pick up a program or for elevated Dutch dining in the new fine dining restaurant Felix, which has huge windows overlooking the canal.