Dutch queen reopens Amsterdam's renovated Rijksmuseum

Fireworks and fanfare accompanied Dutch Queen Beatrix as she reopened Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum treasure trove of Golden Age masterpieces after a 10-year renovation.

The reopening at the weekend was the queen's last major public appearance before she abdicates in favour of her son Willem-Alexander on April 30. Performers from around the Netherlands and its overseas territories took part in the ceremony.

After the queen, 75, turned a key in a symbolic lock on a vast orange carpet, a long queue immediately formed of people wanting to visit the world-famous museum, with free admission for its reopening day.

The museum, built in 1885 for 200,000 annual visitors, now hopes to double the one million people that it was hosting before the renovation.

The €375 million (HK$3.81 billion) revamp, masterminded by Spanish architects Cruz y Ortiz, ran over time and over budget but was hailed by observers.

Architects and artisans restored much of the original styling of the Gothic-Renaissance building, designed by Pierre Cuypers, but with extensive modern touches.

"The Rijksmuseum is a point of pride for the Dutch … it's one of the most beautiful museums in the world," said one local visitor.