´óÏó´«Ã½

A Dutch teacher has won the chance of a lifetime - to sleep under the gaze of The Night Watch.

Stefan Kasper became the first person, apart from the odd security guard, to spend a night alone with Rembrandt's masterpiece at Amsterdam's world famous Rijksmuseum this week.

And all Mr Kasper had to do to win the amazing prize was be the 10 millionth visitor to the museum since its reopening in 2013.

He described the experience as "magic".

"I still can't believe it," he told AFP news agency. "I discovered characters that I have never seen before. They came to life in front of me. It's an experience that is forever etched in my memory."

The Night Watch is one of the country's most important artworks, with museum director Taco Dibbits describing it as "among the treasures of the Netherlands".

However, Mr Kasper - who was visiting with students from a school just outside the Dutch capital when he purchased the golden ticket - was not just gazing at the painting all night. He was also treated to gazpacho soup and a cheek of beef, made especially for him by Joris Bijdendijk, chef at the Michelin-star RIJKS restaurant.

What's more, he got to walk around the museum, which underwent a 10-year-renovation before reopening four years ago, in just his socks - and of course take a few selfies.

"There were no guards, or they were very well hidden," he added.