Abraxas Amsterdam: The Art-Led Coffeeshop

Abraxas Amsterdam is the Amsterdam coffeeshop described in Leplace's Coffeeshop Walking Tour. It opened its doors in 1992 and welcomes visitors from all over the world, combining art, music and high-quality products across two floors.

What is Abraxas Amsterdam?

Abraxas is presented as a two-floor store with a distinctive art-led character. Its atmosphere is described as vibrant and interflowing, bringing together art and music with an integration of craftsmanship, science and art. On the tour, Abraxas appears as stop 5 of 16.

The venue's identity also includes an ethical and environmental ambition. Abraxas tries to work as much as possible with products made by workers in fair-trade environments and produced through ethical and eco-friendly processes. It aims to support, embrace, promote and inspire a green and sustainable lifestyle.

What makes Abraxas distinctive inside?

Abraxas's interior is rooted in raw materials including wood, stone, glass and hemp. Those materials sit alongside the store's stated combination of craftsmanship, science and art, giving the two-floor space a character that is more deliberately constructed than a simple retail setting.

The store's sustainability aims are part of that character rather than a separate detail. Its stated approach connects the materials, the production processes behind its products and its desire to support a green and sustainable lifestyle.

Why is it called Abraxas?

Abraxas's name and logo draw inspiration from the crafty raven Abraxas in Otfried Preussler's German children's story The Little Witch. The tour source also mentions another Abraxas described as a demon associated with stripping good witches of their powers. These are the stated references behind the name and logo; they do not, by themselves, explain the store's products or establish a religious identity for the venue.

The word has an older religious and magical history. Wikipedia identifies Abraxas, or Abrasax, as a term for the “Great Archon” in Gnostic Christianity. It appears in Gnostic texts and in the Greek Magical Papyri, and was engraved on antique gemstones known as Abraxas stones, which were used as amulets or charms. The seven letters in the name may also represent the seven classic planets.

What should you know before visiting Abraxas?

Abraxas is a two-floor Amsterdam store defined by art, music, raw materials and sustainability-focused aims. If you want to encounter it within an interactive route, it is stop 5 of 16 on the Coffeeshop Walking Tour.

For a source-supported introduction to Abraxas without guessing at opening hours, prices, menus or other visiting details, follow the tour's route and explore the store through the specific stories attached to its stops.