Here are a couple of views of the main room in the Rusland coffeeshop located just outside the "Old Center" in Amsterdam. The Rusland coffeeshop has been operating for forty years now - an amazing achievement. 

Reading an entry in the 1980 edition of the Mellow Pages, an early smoker's guide, the Rusland's menu showed a healthy choice of hash and grass for sale. Half of their options were still imported strains like Thai, African, and Indonesian-showing that the Dutch domestic hybrids had not yet taken over the market.The Dutch grown strains offered on their menu during this time reflected Holland's nascent indoor growing scene: Skunk, Orange bud, Big bud, Viking and Haze. These early strains became responsible for the reputation Amsterdam would enjoy as THE place to head for exotic high potency marijuana hybrids and helped put Holland on the map as a smoker's paradise.

Located just outside the Old City Center which houses Amsterdam's famous Red Light District the Rusland coffeeshop makes a nice break from the busy streets nearby. For many smokers in Amsterdam the Rusland was their first exposure to a marijuana and hashish selling establishment. Even Kip, the author of the Mellow pages can't resist hinting at the early origins of this coffeeshop- "I still maintain that the Rusland is one of, if not the first hash coffeesop in town".

Their signature has always been a large assortment of hot teas and of course a fine selection of smoke on both sides of the menu! The Rusland coffeeshop's slogan is "Invade Russia for a change" and where better to do that than in Amsterdam!

( Watercolor 30cm x 45cm )