Everything about Amsterdam totally explained
is the capital and the largest city of The
Netherlands. Its name is derived from "
Amstel dam", pointing to the city's origin: a dam on the river Amstel. The city is known for its historic port, the
Rijksmuseum, its
red-light district (
de Wallen), its liberal
coffee shop policy, and its many
canals (
grachten) which have led to Amsterdam being called the "Venice of the North".
Founded as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the
Dutch Golden Age, because of its innovative developments in trade. During this time, the city was the leading centre for finance and diamonds.
The city proper comprises 751,251 inhabitants, containing at least 175 nationalities.
With its surrounding the Amsterdam
metropolitan area has a
population of 1 to 1.5 million people, depending on definition. This area is part of the
Randstad conurbation, which has a population of 6,659,300. Moreover, Amsterdam is a six-point Gamma
Global City.
History
The first known record of Amsterdam is
27 October 1275, when the inhabitants of a late 12th century fishing village, who had built a bridge with a dam across the
Amstel, were granted exempted from paying a
bridge toll by count
Floris V. The certificate's wording
homines manentes apud Amestelledamme (people living near
Amestelledamme) gives the first known use of the name Amsterdam, which by 1327 had developed into
Aemsterdam. From the 14th century on, Amsterdam flourished, largely due to the trade with the
Hanseatic League. In 1345, an alleged
Eucharistic miracle in the
Kalverstraat rendered the city an important place of pilgrimage until the
alteration to the protestant faith. The
Stille Omgang—a silent
procession in civil attire—is a remnant of the rich pilgrimage history.
In the 16th century, the Dutch rebelled against
Philip II of Spain and his successors. Main reasons for the uprise were the imposition of new taxes, the tenth penny, and the religious persecution of Protestantism by the
Spanish Inquisition. The revolt escalated into the
Eighty Years' War, which ultimately led to Dutch independence. Strongly pushed by
Dutch Revolt leader
William the Silent, the
Dutch Republic became known for its relative
religious tolerance.
Jews from the
Iberian Peninsula,
Huguenots from
France, prosperous merchants and printers from
Flanders as well as economic and religious refugees from the Spanish controlled parts of the
Low Countries found safety in Amsterdam. The influx of Flemish printers and the city's intellectual tolerance made Amsterdam a hotbed of the European free press.
The 17th century is considered Amsterdam's
Golden Age when it became one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Ships sailed from Amsterdam to the
Baltic Sea,
North America,
Africa as well as present-day
Indonesia,
India,
Sri Lanka and
Brazil, forming the basis of a worldwide trading network. Amsterdam's merchants had the largest share in both, the
VOC (Dutch East India Company) and the
WIC (Dutch West India Company). These companies acquired overseas possessions that later became
Dutch colonies. Amsterdam was Europe's most important point for the trans-shipment of goods and the leading financial centre of the world. In 1602, the Amsterdam office of the VOC became the first
stock exchange in the world by trading in its own shares.
Amsterdam's prosperity declined during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The
wars of the
Dutch Republic with
England and
France took their toll on Amsterdam. During the
Napoleonic Wars, Amsterdam's fortunes reached their lowest point. However, the establishment of the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815 marks a turning point. New developments, by people such as city planner
Samuel Sarphati, drew their inspiration from Paris.
The end of the 19th century is sometimes called Amsterdam's second Golden Age.
New museums, a train station, and the
Concertgebouw were built. At this time, the
Industrial Revolution reached Amsterdam. The
Amsterdam-Rhine Canal was dug to give Amsterdam a direct connection to the
Rhine, and the
North Sea Canal to give the port a shorter connection to the
North Sea. Both projects improved the exchange with the rest of Europe and the world dramatically. In 1906,
Joseph Conrad gives a brief description of Amsterdam as seen from the seaside, in . Shortly before
World War I, the city began expanding and new suburbs were built. Even though the Netherlands remained neutral in this war, Amsterdam suffered a food shortage and heating fuel became scarce. The shortages sparked riots in which several people were killed. These riots are known as the
Aardappeloproer. People started looting stores and warehouses in order to get supplies, mainly food.
Germany invaded the Netherlands on
10 May 1940 and took control of the country within five days of fighting. The Germans installed a Nazi civilian government in Amsterdam that cooperated in the persecution of Jews. Some Amsterdam citizens sheltered Jews, thereby exposing themselves and their families to the high risk of being imprisoned or sent to concentration camps, too. More than 103,000 to 105,000 Dutch Jews were deported to
concentration camps. Perhaps the most famous deportee was the young German girl
Anne Frank, who died in the
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Only 5,000 Dutch Jews survived the war. At the end of World War II, communication with the rest of the country broke down, and food and fuel became scarce. Many citizens traveled to the countryside to fetch their aliment. Dogs, cats, raw sugar beets, and
Tulip bulbs—cooked to a pulp—were consumed to stay alive. Most of the trees in Amsterdam were cut down for fuel, and all the wood was taken from the apartments of deported Jews. After the war approximately 120,000 Dutch were prosecuted for their collaboration with Germany.
Many new suburbs, such as Osdorp, Slotervaart, Slotermeer, and Geuzenveld, were built in the years following World War II. These suburbs contained many public parks and wide open spaces, while the new buildings provided improved housing conditions with larger and brighter rooms, gardens, and balconies. Due to the war and other incidences of the 20th century, almost the whole city centre had fallen into disrepair. As society was changing, politicians and other influential figures made plans to redesign large parts of it. There was an increasing demand for office buildings and new roads as the
automobile became available to most common people.
A
metro started operating between the new suburb of Bijlmer and the centre of Amsterdam. Further plans were to built a new highway atop of the metro to connect the central station and city centre with other parts of the city.
The incorporated large scale demolitions began in the formerly Jewish neighborhood of Amsterdam. Smaller streets like the
Jodenbreestraat were widened and saw almost all their houses demolished. When the destructions culminated, the
Nieuwmarktrellen (Nieuwmarkt riots) broke out. Therein, people expressed their fury about the demolitions accorded to the restructuring of the city. As a result, demolitions were ceased, the highway never accomplished, and only the metro was finished. Only a few streets remained widened. The destroyed buildings were replaced by new ones corresponding to the medieval street plan of the neighborhood. The new city hall was built on the almost completely demolished
Waterlooplein. In the meanwhile, large privat organizations, such as
Stadsherstel Amsterdam, were founded with the aim to restore the entire city centre. While the success of this struggle is convincingly visible today, efforts for further restorations are still ongoing. The entire city centre has attained its former splendor and—as a whole—is now a protected area. Many of its buildings have become monuments and plans exist to make the
Grachtengordel (
Herengracht,
Keizersgracht, and
Prinsengracht) a
Unesco World Heritage site.
Geography and climate
Being part of the province
North-Holland, Amsterdam is located in the northwest of the Netherlands next to the provinces
Utrecht and
Flevoland. The river
Amstel terminates in the city center into a large number of canals that eventually terminate in the
IJ. Amsterdam is situated 2 meters above sea level. The surrounding land is flat as it's formed of large
polders. To the southwest of the city lies a man-made forest called
het Amsterdamse Bos. Amsterdam is connected to the
North Sea through the long
North Sea Canal.
Amsterdam is intensely
urbanized, as is the
urban area surrounding the city. Comprising 219.4 square kilometers of land, the city proper has a population density of 4457 inhabitants and 2275 houses per square kilometer. Amsterdam consist for 12% out of
parks and
nature reserves.
The concentrations of both carbon dioxide and small particles were above the limits the European Union directives.
Amsterdam enjoys a temperate climate, strongly influenced by its proximity to the
North Sea to the west with prevailing north-western winds and gales. Winter temperatures are mild, seldom below 0°C.
Frosts merely occur during spells of eastern or northeastern winds from the inner European continent, for example, from Scandinavia, Russia, and even Siberia. Summers are warm but rarely hot. Days with measurable
precipitation are common. Nevertheless, Amsterdam's average annual precipitation is less than 760 mm. Most of it pours as protracted drizzle or light rain, making cloudy and damp days common during the cooler months, October through March. Only the occasional Western storm may bring a lot of water at once, requiring all of it to be pumped out to higher grounds or to the seas around the city.
| Month |
JAN |
FEB |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
NOV |
DEC |
Year |
Avg high °C
(°F) | 5.4
(41.7) |
6.0
(42.8) |
9.2
(48.6) |
12.4
(54.3) |
17.1
(62.8) |
19.2
(66.6) |
21.4
(70.5) |
21.8
(71.2) |
18.4
(65.1) |
14.1
(57.4) |
9.2
(48.6) |
6.5
(43.7) |
13.4
(56.1)
|
Avg low °C
(°F) | 0.5
(32.9) |
0.2
(32.4) |
2.4
(36.3) |
4.0
(39.2) |
7.8
(46.0) |
10.4
(50.7) |
12.5
(54.5) |
12.3
(54.1) |
10.2
(50.4) |
7.0
(44.6) |
3.9
(39.0) |
1.9
(35.4) |
6.1
(43.0)
|
Precipitation mm
(inches) | 62.1
(2.4) |
43.4
(1.7) |
58.9
(2.3) |
41.0
(1.6) |
48.3
(1.9) |
67.5
(2.7) |
65.8
(2.6) |
61.4
(2.4) |
82.1
(3.2) |
85.1
(3.4) |
89.0
(3.5) |
74.9
(2.9) |
65.0
(2.6)
|
Data retrieved from: (External Link ) |
Cityscape and architecture
Amsterdam fans out south from the
Amsterdam Centraal railway station. The
main street is
Damrak which leads into
Rokin. The area to the east of Damrak is the oldest area and is known as
de Wallen ("the walls") after the medieval walls of the city - this area contains the city's red light area. To the south of de Wallen is the old Jewish quarter of Waterlooplein. The 17th century girdle of concentric canals, known as the "grachtengordel", embraces the heart of the city. Beyond the grachtengordel are the formerly working class areas of
Jordaan and de Pijp, Museumplein, containing the city's major museums,
Vondelpark, the 19th century park named after the Dutch writer
Joost van den Vondel and Plantage, the neighborhood in which the zoo
Artis is located.
Several parts of the city and of the
urban area are
polders, recognisable by their
postfix -meer meaning 'lake', such as
Aalsmeer,
Bijlmermeer,
Haarlemmermeer, and
Watergraafsmeer.
Canals
city planning. In the early part of the 17th century, with
immigration at a height, a comprehensive plan was put together, calling for four main, concentric half-circles of canals with their ends resting on de
IJ bay. Known as the "grachtengordel", three of the canals are mostly for residential development (
Herengracht or ‘’Gentleman's Canal’’;
Keizersgracht or ‘’Emperor's Canal’’; and
Prinsengracht or ‘’Prince's Canal’’), and a fourth, outer canal, the
Singelgracht (not to be confused with the
Singel), for purposes of defense and water management. The plan also envisaged interconnecting canals along radii; a set of parallel canals in the
Jordaan quarter (primarily for the transportation of goods, for example, beer); the conversion of an existing, inner perimeter canal (Singel) from a defensive purpose to residential and commercial development; and more than one hundred bridges. The defensive purpose of the
Singelgracht was served by moat and
earthen dikes, with gates at transit points but otherwise no masonry
superstructures.
Construction proceeded from west to east, across the breadth of the lay-out, like a gigantic windshield wiper as the historian
Geert Mak calls it –
not from the centre outwards as a popular myth has it. Construction of the north-western sector was started in 1613. After 1656, with the canals in the southern sector also already finished for some time, building in that sector too was started, although slowly. The eastern part of the concentric canal plan, covering the area between the
Amstel river and the IJ bay, was never implemented. In the following centuries, the land went mostly for parks, old age homes, theaters and other public facilities – and for waterways without much plan.
Over the years, several canals have been filled up and are now streets or squares, such as Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and
Spui.
Architecture
Amsterdam has a rich architectural history. The oldest building in Amsterdam is
het Houten Huys at the
Begijnhof in Amsterdam. This
wooden building was built around 1425 and is one of the two still existing wooden buildings in Amsterdam. It is also one of the few rare examples of
gothic architecture in Amsterdam. In the sixteenth century wooden buildings were broken down and replaced by
brick ones. During this age many buildings were built according to the architecture of the
Renaissance. Buildings build during this period are very recognizable, since they all have a façade which ends at the top in the shape of a
staircase. This is however the common Dutch Renaissance style. Amsterdam quickly developed its own
Renaissance architecture. These buildings were built according to the principles of the architect
Hendrick de Keyser. One of the most striking buildings designed by Hendrick de Keyer is the
Westerkerk. In the seventeenth century
baroque architecture became very popular as did it elsewhere in Europe. This was roughly in the same period as was Amsterdam’s
Golden Age. The leading architects of this style in Amsterdam were
Jacob van Campen as well as
Philip Vingboons and
Daniel Stalpaert. Philip Vingboons designed splendid merchant’s houses throughout the city. A famous building in baroque style in Amsterdam is the
Royal Palace on
Dam Square. Throughout the eighteenth century Amsterdam was heavily influenced by
French culture. This is reflected in the architecture from that period. At around 1815 architects broke with the baroque style and started building in different neo-styles. Most gothic style buildings date from that era and are therefore said to be built in a neo-gothic style. At the end of the nineteenth century the
Jugendstil or Art Nouveau style became popular and a lot of new buildings were constructed in this architectural style. Since Amsterdam rapidly expanded during this period, new buildings adjacent to the city’s center were also built in this style. The houses in the vicinity of the
Museum Square in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid are an example of Jugendstil. The last style that was popular in Amsterdam before the
modern era was
Art Deco. Amsterdam had its own version of the style, which was called the
Amsterdamse School. Whole districts were built in Amsterdamse School, such as the
Rivierenbuurt.
The old city’s center is the epicenter of all the architectural styles before the end of the nineteenth century. Jugendstil and Art Deco are mostly found outside the city’s century in the neighborhoods built in the early twentieth century, although there are some striking examples of these styles present in the city’s center. Most historic buildings in the city’s center and near it are houses, such as the famous merchant’s houses lining the canals.
Economy
Amsterdam is the financial and business capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch corporations and banks have their headquarters in Amsterdam, including
ABN Amro,
Akzo Nobel,
Heineken International,
ING Group,
Ahold,
TomTom,
Delta Lloyd Group and
Philips.
KPMG International's global headquarters is located in nearby Amstelveen.
Though many small offices are still located on the old canals, companies are increasingly relocating outside the city centre. The
Zuidas (English: South Axis) is the new financial and legal hub. The five largest law firms of the Netherlands and Dutch subsidiaries of large consulting firms like
Boston Consulting Group,
McKinsey & Co and
Accenture have their offices here. The
World Trade Center Amsterdam stands here.
There are also three other smaller financial districts in Amsterdam. The first one is the area surrounding
Amsterdam Sloterdijk railway station. A lot of newspapers like
De Telegraaf have their offices here. Also Gemeente Vervoersbedrijf and the Dutch tax offices are located there. The second other financial district is the area surrounding
Amsterdam Arena. Last the area surrounding Amsterdam Amstel railway station. The highest building in Amsterdam (Rembrandttoren) is situated there and it's the location of the headquarters of
Philips.
The
Amsterdam Stock Exchange (AEX), nowadays part of
Euronext, is the world's oldest stock exchange and is one of Europe's largest bourses. It is situated near
Dam Square in the city's centre.
Tourism
Amsterdam is the 5th busiest tourist destination in Europe with more than 4.2 million international visitors. This number of visitors has been growing rapidly and steadily over the past decade. 41743 beds were located in 19400 rooms in 351 hotels as of 2007. Two thirds of these hotels are located in the city's center. Hotels with 4 or 5 stars contribute 42% of the total beds available and 41% of the overnight stays in Amsterdam. The room occupation rate was 78% in 2006, up from 70% in 2005.
The origin of tourists visiting Amsterdam is largely European: 74%. The growth in recent years can be attributed to an increase in the number of visitors from Europe too. The largest group of non-European visitors came from the
United States, with 14% of the total. The city features also a large number of open-air markets such as the
Albert Cuypmarkt,
Westermarkt,
Ten Katemarkt, and
Dappermarkt.
Demography
In the 16th and 17th century non-Dutch immigrants to Amsterdam were mostly
Huguenots,
Flemings,
Sephardi Jews and
Westphalians. Hugenots came after 1685's
Edict of Fontainebleau, while the Flemish Protestants came during the
Eighty Years' War. The Westphalians came to Amsterdam mostly for economic reasons – their influx continued through the 18th and 19th centuries.
The first mass immigrants in the 20th century were people from
Indonesia, who came to Amsterdam after the independence of the
Dutch East Indies in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1960s guest workers from
Turkey,
Morocco,
Italy and
Spain migrated to Amsterdam. After the independence of
Suriname in 1975 a large wave of
Surinamese settled in Amsterdam, mostly in the
Bijlmer area. Other immigrants, among which asylants and illegals, come from
Europe,
America,
Asia and
Africa. In the seventies and eighties many 'old' Amsterdammers moved to 'new' cities like
Almere and
Purmerend, prompted by the third
planological bill of the Dutch government. This bill promoted
suburbanization and arranged for new developments in so called "groeikernen", literally "cores of growth". Young professionals and artists moved into neighbourhoods de Pijp and the
Jordaan abandoned by these Amsterdammers. The non-Western immigrants settled mostly in the social housing projects in Amsterdam-West and the Bijlmer. Non-Western immigrants make up approximately one in three residents of Amsterdam and more than 50% of the children in Amsterdam have
a non-western background.
Amsterdam's largest religious group are the
Christians followed by
Islam, mainly Sunni Islam.
In 1578 the previously
Roman Catholic city of Amsterdam joined the revolt against Spanish rule, late in comparison to other major northern Dutch cities. In line with
Protestant procedure of that time, all churches were "reformed" to the Protestant worship.
Calvinism became the dominant
religion and although Catholicism wasn't forbidden and priests allowed to serve, the Catholic hierarchy was prohibited. This led to the establishment of
schuilkerken, covert churches, behind seemingly ordinary canal side house fronts, one of them the current debate centre de Rode Hoed.
A large influx of foreigners of many religions into 17th-century Amsterdam, in particular
Sefardic Jews from Spain and Portugal,
Huguenots from France, and Protestants from the
Southern Netherlands, led to the establishment of many non-
Dutch-speaking religious churches. In 1603 the first notification is made of
Jewish religious service. In 1639 the first Jewish synagogue was consecrated.
As they became established in the city, other Christian denominations used converted Catholic chapels to conduct their own services. The oldest
Church of England building outside the United Kingdom is found at the
Begijnhof. Regular services there are still offered in English. The Huguenots accounted for nearly 20% of Amsterdam's inhabitants in 1700; being Calvinists, they soon integrated into the
Dutch Reformed Church, though often retaining their own congregations. Some, commonly referred by the moniker 'Walloon', and are recognizable today as they offer occasional services in
French.
In the second half of the 17th century, Amsterdam experienced an influx of
Ashkenazim, Jews from Central and Eastern Europe, which continued into the 19th century. Jews often fled the pogroms in those areas. They not only founded their own synagogues, but had a strong influence on the 'Amsterdam dialect' adding a large
Yiddish local vocabulary. Amsterdam's nickname of
Mokum, the Yiddish word for the
Hebrew makom ("town"), stems from this immigration.
Despite an absence of an official Jewish
ghetto, most Jews preferred to live in the eastern part of the old medieval heart of the city. The main street of this Jewish neighborhood was the
Jodenbreestraat. The neighborhood comprised the
Waterlooplein and the
Nieuwmarkt. Buildings in in this neighborhood fell into disrepair after World War II and a large section of the neighbourhood was demolished during the construction of the new subway. This led to
riots and as a result a small part of the old neighborhood was saved.
Catholic churches in Amsterdam have been constructed since the restoration of the bishopric hierarchy in 1853. One of the principal architects behind the city's Catholic churches, Cuypers, was also responsible for the Amsterdam Central Station and the
Rijksmuseum, which led to a refusal of Protestant King
William III to open 'that monastery'.
In 1924 the Roman Catholic Church of the Netherlands hosted the
International Eucharistic Congress in Amsterdam, and numerous Catholic
prelates visited the city, where numerous festivities were held in churches and
stadiums; Catholic processions on the public streets however were still forbidden under law at the time. Only in the twentieth century was Amsterdam's relation to Catholicism normalized, but despite its far larger population size, the Catholic clergy chose to place its bishopric seat of the city in the nearby provincial town of
Haarlem.
The most recent religious changes in Amsterdam are due to large-scale immigration from former colonies. Immigrants from Suriname have introduced
Evangelical Protestantism and
Lutheranism, from the Hernhutter variety,
Hinduism, from South East Asia and a liberal branch of
Islam from various parts of the world. Turks, Kurds and Moroccans have introduced other Islamic sects. Islam has now become the largest non-Christian religion in Amsterdam. The large community of Ghanaian and Nigerian immigrants have established African churches, often in parking garages in the
Bijlmer area, where many have settled. In addition, a broad array of other religious movements have been established congregations, including
Buddhism,
Confucianism,
Hinduism and
Scientology.
Culture
During the later part of the 16th century Amsterdams Rederijkerskamer (
Chamber of Rhetoric) organized contests between different Chambers in the reading of
poetry and
drama. In 1638 Amsterdam got its first
theatre.
Ballet performances were given in this theatre as early as 1642. In the 18th century
French theatre became popular.
Opera could be seen in Amsterdam from 1677, first only
Italian and French operas, but in the 18th century
German operas. In the 19th century popular culture was centred around the
Nes area in Amsterdam (mainly
vaudeville and music-hall). The
metronome, one of the most important advances in
European classical music was invented here in 1812 by
Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel. At the end of this century the
Rijksmuseum and
Gemeentelijk Museum were built. In 1888 the
Concertgebouworkest was established. With the 20th century came
cinema,
radio and
television. Though the studios are in
Hilversum and
Aalsmeer, Amsterdam's influence on programming is very strong. Many people who work for television broadcasters live in Amsterdam. Also, the headquarters of
SBS 6 are located in Amsterdam.
Museums
The most important museums of Amsterdam are located on
het Museumplein (
Museum Square). This square is the largest square of Amsterdam and lies adjacent to the southern side of the city's centre. It was created in the last quarter of the 19th century on the grounds of the former
World Exposition. The northern part of the square is bordered by the very large Rijksmuseum. In front of the Rijksmuseum on the square itself you can find a man-made pond. This is transformed in winter time into a ice rink. The western part of the square is bordered by the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, House of Bols Cocktail & Genever Experience and Coster Diamonds. The southern border of the Museum Square is the Van Baerlestraat, which is a major thoroughfare in this part of Amsterdam. The Concertgebouw is situated across this street from the square. To the east of the square are situated a couple of villas, one of which houses the American consulate. A parking garage can be found underneath the square, as well as a supermarket.
Het Museumplein is covered almost entirely with a lawn, except for the northern part of the square which is covered with gravel. The current appearance of the square was realized in 1999, when the square was remodeled. The square itself is the most prominent site in Amsterdam for festivals and outdoor concert, especially in the summer. Plans have been made this year (2008) to remodel the square again, because many inhabitants of Amsterdam are not happy with it's current appearance.
The
Rijksmuseum possesses the largest and most important collection of classical Dutch art. It opened it's doors to the public in 1885. It collection consists of one million pieces of art. The artist most associated with Amsterdam is
Rembrandt, whose work, and the work of his pupils, is displayed in the Rijksmuseum. Rembrandt's masterpiece the
Nightwatch is one of top pieces of art of the museum. It also houses paintings from artists like
Van der Helst,
Vermeer,
Frans Hals,
Ferdinand Bol, Albert Cuijp, Van Ruysdael and
Paulus Potter. Besides paintings the collection consists of a large variety of decorative art. This ranges from
Delftware to giant
dollhouses from the 17th century. The architect of the
gothic revival building was P.J.H. Cuypers. Only one wing of the Rijksmuseum is currently open to the public, where the 200 most important pieces of art are on display. The museum will open again after the year 2010. The Rijksmuseum is being expanded, renovated and a new main entrance for the museum is being created.
Van Gogh lived in Amsterdam for a short while, so there's a
museum dedicated to his early work. The museum is housed in one of the few modern buildings in this area of Amsterdam. The building was designed by
Gerrit Rietveld. This building is where the permanent collection is shown to the public. A new building was added to the museum in 1999. This building, known as the performance wing, was designed by a Japanese architect. It's purpose is to house temporary exhibitions of the museum. Some of Van Gogh's most famous paintings like the
Aardappeleters and Zonnenbloemen are present in the collection of the museum. The Van Gogh museum is the most visited museum in Amsterdam.
Next to the Van Gogh museum stands the
Stedelijk Museum. This is Amsterdam's most important museum concerning modern art. The museum opened it's doors at around the same time the Museum Square was created. The permanent collection consists of works of art from artists like
Piet Mondriaan,
Karel Appel, and Kasimir Malewitsj. This museum is also currently being renovated and expanded. The main entrance will be relocated from the Paulus Potterstraat to the Museum Square itself. It will be open again to public in 2009.The current exhibition of this museum is housed in a former post office near the central station.
Amsterdam contains a lot more museums then just those on the
Museum Square. These museums range from little ones, such as the Verzetsmuseum, the
Anne Frank House, and the
Rembrandthuis, to very large ones like the
Tropenmuseum,
Amsterdams Historisch Museum, and
Joods Historisch Museum. These museums are all located in the city centre or nearby it.
Performing arts
Amsterdam has a world-class symphony orchestra, the
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the home base of which is the
Concertgebouw across the Van Baerlestraat from the Museum Square. It is considered by critics to be a
concert hall with one of the best
acoustics in the world. The building contains three
halls: Grote Zaal, Kleine Zaal and Spiegelzaal. 800 concerts a year are performed here for a audience of approximately 850.000 people.
The main theatre building of Amsterdam is the
Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam at the
Leidseplein. It is the home base of the
Toneelgroep Amsterdam. The current building dates from 1894. Most plays are performed in the Grote Zaal (Great Hall). The normal programm of events encompasses all sorts of theatrical forms, mostly by Dutch writers. The Stadsschouwburg is currently being renovated and expanded.
The opera house of Amsterdam is situated adjacent to the city hall. Therefore, the two buildings combined are often called the
Stopera. This word is derived from the Dutch words
stadhuis (city hall) and opera. The building was officially opened in 1986. This huge modern complex lies in the former Jewish neighborhood at
Waterlooplein next to the river
Amstel. The
Stopera is the homebase of
De Nederlandse Opera,
Het Nationale Ballet and the
Holland Symfonia.
Het Muziekgebouw aan 't Ij is a new
concert hall, which is situated in the
Ij near the central station. Its
concerts are mostly modern interpretations of
classical music. Adjacent to it, the
Bimhuis, a concert hall for
Jazz music, is located.
The
Heineken Music Hall is a concert hall located near the
Amsterdam ArenA. It main purpose is to serve as a podium for pop concerts. Many famous international
artists like
Armin van Buuren,
James Blunt and
Rihanna have performed there.
Nightlife, festivals
Amsterdam has a vibrant and diverse nightlife scene and is famous for it. The two main epicentres for nightlife are the
Leidseplein and
Rembrandtplein. The Rembrantplein is more visited by Dutchmen from outside Amsterdam and the Leidseplein tends to be more for the locals and tourist from outside the country.
Amsterdam contains a lot of
cafes. They range from large cafes, like the ones on the Leidseplein itself to smaller cafes sought after by locals in the smaller streets of this city. You can sit down in a old fashion cafe, which are called a
bruin kroeg by Dutchmen. These
bruine kroegen contain a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere and the interior is lit with dim lights. You could also choose to sit down in one of the many trendy, stylish new cafes Amsterdam has to offer. These cafes are more sought after by a younger crowd, who drink cocktails or mixed drinks. Most cafes have terraces in summertime. A common sight on the Leidseplein during summer is a square full of terraces packed with people drinking beer or wine.
Many restaurants can be found in Amsterdam. Since Amsterdam is a multicultural city a lot of different ethnic restaurants can be found here. Restaurants range from being rather luxurious and expensive to being normal and affordable. Some of the best restaurants in the Netherlands are located in Amsterdam. Many hotels have a adjacent restaurant.
Amsterdam also possesses many
discothèques. Most of the discothèques are situated near or on the Leidseplein or Rembrandtplein. A example of a discothèque near the Leidseplein is the Jimmy Woo. This is a trendy club were you've to be on the guest list to get in. The Paradiso and Melkweg are cultural centres, which turn into discothèques one some nights. Those nights in the Paradiso are popular with students. Large discothèques near the Rembrandtplein are the Escape, Club Home and Cineac (currently closed). There are in addition to these also a lot of cafes with a dance floor throughout the city. Various other large discothèques in Amsterdam are located outside these two epicentres. Panama is located near the
Ij, which also is a restaurant. The Powerzone is a discothèque, which used to be an office building. House music is a popular category of music in the Powerzone. Club Arena is situated near the Oosterpark and used to be a
chapel. Now it's place where people dance and drink all night long. You mostly have to be 21 years or older to get in, but they're not always that strict and for some parties you've to be 18 years or older. The Reguliersdwarsstraat is the main street for
gay bars and clubs. It can get very crowded in this small street on weekend nights.
The
cinemas of Amsterdam which feature Hollywood productions are all part of a larger chain of cinemas in the Netherlands owned by Pathe. They have two cinemas in the city's centre, one of which (
Tuschinski) is a beautiful old
art deco style building in the Reguliersbreestraat. Scattered throughout the city's centre are a lot of smaller cinemas, which show a various selection of movies from documentaries to movies for children.
Amsterdam is a city of festivals. In the last year alone there were 140 festivals in Amsterdam.
Famous festivals in Amsterdam are the events taking place during
Koninginnedag, Amsterdam
Gay Pride and the
Uitmarkt. On Koninginnedag, hundreds of thousands of people travel to Amsterdam to join the inhabitant to celebrate and party. The entire city will be overcrowded with people who are buying products from the
freemarket or visit one of the many music concerts. It is held on the 30th of
April. During Gay Pride, there's a very long parade of boats with extravagant people floating on Amsterdam's canals and there are various events taking place in the city elsewhere. It is held in
August. Finally the Uitmarkt is a cultural event which lasts three days. It consists of many
podia with a lot of different artist on them, like
musicians and
poets. It is held in late August.
Fashion
Fashion brands like
G-star, Gsus, BlueBlood,
10 feet and
Warmenhoven & Venderbos and fashion designers like Mart Visser,
Viktor & Rolf, Marlies Dekkers and Frans Molenaar are based in Amsterdam. Model agencies
Elite Models, Touche models and Tony Jones have opened branches in Amsterdam. Supermodels
Yfke Sturm,
Doutzen Kroes and
Kim Noorda started their career in Amsterdam. Amsterdam has its garment centre in the World Fashion Centre. Buildings formerly housing brothels in the red light district have have been converted to ateliers for young upcoming fashion designers.
Red light district
De Wallen, also known as
Walletjes or
Rosse Buurt, is the largest and best-known
red-light district in
Amsterdam, a major tourist attraction. It is a network of alleys containing several hundred tiny one-room apartments rented by female
prostitutes (and some
ladyboys) who offer their services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights. The area also has a number of
sex shops,
sex theatres,
peep shows, a
sex museum, a
cannabis museum, and a number of
Cannabis coffee shops offering various cannabis products. The city administration is actively pursuing a policy of reducing the number of venues.
Sports
Amsterdam is the hometown of the
Eredivisie football club
Ajax. Its home base is the stadium
Amsterdam ArenA, located in the
south-east of the city. Before it moved to the Arena in 1996 Ajax played their regular matches in
De Meer Stadion.
In 1928, Amsterdam hosted the
Games of the IXth Olympiad. The
Olympic Stadium built for the occasion has been completely restored and is now used for cultural and sporting events, such as the
Amsterdam Marathon.
The ice hockey team
Amstel Tijgers play in the
Jaap Eden ice rink. The team competes in the Dutch
ice hockey premier league.
Speed skating championships have been held on the lane of this ice rink. Amsterdam is also a place where many skateboard competitions are held.
The
baseball team the
Amsterdam Pirates competes in the
Dutch Major League. There are three
field hockey teams, Amsterdam, Pinoké and Hurley, who play their matches around the
Wagener Stadium in the nearby city of Amstelveen. These teams are often referred to as playing in Amsterdam. The
basketball team the
Amsterdam Astronauts competes in the Dutch premier division and play their games in the Sporthallen Zuid, near the Olympic Stadium.
Since 1999 the city of Amsterdam honours the best sportsmen and -women at the
Amsterdam Sports Awards. Boxer
Raymond Joval and field hockey midfielder
Carole Thate were the first to receive the awards in 1999.
Transportation
bicycle-friendly cities in the world and is a centre of
bicycle culture with good provision for cyclists such as bike paths and
bike racks, which are ubiquitous throughout the city. There are an estimated one million bicycles in the city. Bike theft is common, so cyclists use large secure locks. Approximately 100.000 bicycles get stolen a year in Amsterdam. People use their bicycles for a lot of different purposes, which range from going to work to picking up the children from school and doing groceries with. A wide variety of bicycles can be found throughout the city. Most people use a common bicycle, but some use
mountain bikes, racing bikes or even
recumbent bikes.
In the city centre, driving a car is discouraged.
Parking fees are steep and a great number of streets are closed to cars or are one-way. The local government sponsors
carsharing and
carpooling initiatives such as
Autodelen and
Meerijden.nu.
Public transport in Amsterdam mainly consists of bus and tram lines, operated by
Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf,
Connexxion and
Arriva. Currently, there are 16 different tramlines; there are four
metro lines, with a fifth line, the
North/South line, under construction. Three free
ferries carry pedestrians and cyclists across the
IJ to
Amsterdam-Noord, and two fare charging ferries go east and west along the harbour. There are also water taxis and a water bus, in addition to the canal cruises, that transport people along Amsterdam's waterways. Some 35% of all people travelling in Amsterdam uses public transport.
The A10
Ringroad surrounding the city connects Amsterdam with the Dutch national network of freeways.
Interchanges on the A10 allow cars to enter the city by transferring to one of the eighteen
city roads, numbered s101 through s118. These city roads are regional roads without
grade separation, and sometimes without a
central reservation. Most are accessible by
cyclists. The s100 is called the centrumring, a smaller ringroad circumnavigating the city's centre.
Amsterdam was intended in 1932 to be the hub, a kind of
Kilometre Zero, of the
highway system of the Netherlands, with
freeways numbered one through eight planned to originate from the city. Besides the A1, A2, A4 and A8, several freeways, such as the A7 and A6, carry traffic mainly bound for Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is served by eight
stations of the
Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways). Five are intercity stops:
Sloterdijk,
Zuid,
Amstel,
Bijlmer ArenA and
Amsterdam Centraal. Many other stations exist in the Amsterdam urban area.
Eurolines has
coaches from Amsterdam to destinations all over
Europe.
Amsterdam Centraal is an international train station. From the station there are regular services with destinations in
Belgium,
France,
Germany, and
Switzerland. Among these trains are international trains of the
Nederlandse Spoorwegen and the
Thalys,
CityNightLine, and
InterCityExpress.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is less than 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam Central Station. It is the biggest airport in the Netherlands, the fourth largest in Europe and the tenth largest in the world. It handles about 44 million passengers a year and is home base to
KLM. Schiphol is the third
busiest airport in the world measured by international passengers.
Education
Amsterdam has two universities: the
University of Amsterdam (Universiteit van Amsterdam), and the VU University Amsterdam (
Vrije Universiteit or "VU"). Other institutions for higher education include an art school, De Rietveldacademie, the Hogeschool van Amsterdam and the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten. Amsterdam's
International Institute of Social History is one of the world's largest documentary and research institutions concerning social history, and especially the history of the labour movement. Amsterdam's
Hortus Botanicus, founded in the early 1600s, is one of the oldest
botanical gardens in the world, with many old and rare specimens, among them the
coffee plant that served as the parent for the entire coffee culture in Central and South America.
Amsterdam is thought to have excellent elementary schools. Some of these schools base their teachings on particular pedagogic theories like the various
Montessori schools. Many however are based on religion. This used to be primarily Roman Catholicism and various Protestant denominations, but with the influx of Muslim immigrants there's a rise in the number of Islamic schools. You can also find Jewish schools in the southern suburbs of Amsterdam. In addition to these schools based on distinct beliefs there are public schools.
The same goes for secondary education. Amsterdam is noted for having 3 independent grammar schools (Dutch: gymnasia), the
Vossius Gymnasium,
Barlaeus Gymnasium and St.
Ignatius Gymnasium, where a classical curriculum including Latin and classical Greek is taught. Though believed until recently by many to be an anachronistic and elitist concept that would soon die out, the gymnasia have recently experienced a revival leading to the formation of a fourth grammar school in which the three aforementioned schools participate. Most secondary schools in Amsterdam offer a variety of different levels of education on the same school.
Government
The administration of the municipality of Amsterdam is divided into 15 boroughs or
stadsdelen; the central one, Centrum, being circled by Westerpark, Bos en Lommer, De Baarsjes,
Oud-West,
Oud-Zuid,
Oost/Watergraafsmeer,
Zeeburg and
Amsterdam-Noord, with the six outer boroughs creating a further encirclement.
Definitions
Amsterdam is usually understood to be the municipality of Amsterdam. Colloquially, some areas within the municipality, such as the village of
Durgerdam, may not be considered part of Amsterdam.
Statistics Netherlands uses three other definitions of Amsterdam: metropolitan agglomeration Amsterdam (
Grootstedelijke Agglomeratie Amsterdam, not to be confused with
Grootstedelijk Gebied Amsterdam, a synonym of
Groot Amsterdam), Greater Amsterdam (
Groot Amsterdam, a
COROP region) and the urban region Amsterdam (
Stadsgewest Amsterdam). The metropolitan agglomeration had a population of 1,021,870 in 2006., and had a population of 1,211,503 in 2006.
Though much larger in area, the population of this area is only slightly larger, because the definition excludes the relatively populous municipality of
Zaanstad. The largest area by population, the urban region Amsterdam, has a population of 1,468,122.
It includes Zaanstad, Wormerveer, Muiden and Abcoude, but excludes Graft De Rijp, Uithoorn and Aalsmeer. Amsterdam is also part of the conglomerate metropolitan area
Randstad, with a total population of 6,659,300 inhabitants.
City government
As all Dutch municipalities, Amsterdam is governed by a
mayor,
aldermen, and the
municipal council. However, unlike most other Dutch municipalities, Amsterdam is subdivided into fifteen
stadsdelen (boroughs), a system that was implemented in the 1980s to improve local governance. The
stadsdelen are responsible for many activities that previously had been run by the central city. Fourteen of these have their own council, chosen by a popular election. The fifteenth, Westpoort, covers the harbour of Amsterdam, has very few inhabitants, and is governed by the central municipal council. Local decisions are made at borough level, and only affairs pertaining to the whole city, such as major infrastructure projects, are handled by the central city council.
National government
The present version of the
Dutch constitution mentions "Amsterdam" and "capital" only in one place, chapter 2, article 32: The king's confirmation by oath and his coronation take place in "the capital Amsterdam" ("
de hoofdstad Amsterdam").
Previous versions of the constitution spoke of "the city of Amsterdam" ("
de stad Amsterdam"), without mention of capital. In any case, the seat of the
government,
parliament and
supreme court of the Netherlands is (and always has been, with the exception of a brief period between 1808 and 1810) located at
The Hague. Foreign embassies too are in The Hague. Although capital of the country, Amsterdam is
not the capital of the province in which it's located,
North Holland, whose capital is located at
Haarlem.
Symbols
The coat of arms of Amsterdam is composed of several historical elements. First and centre are three
St Andrew's crosses, aligned in a vertical band on the city's shield. These St Andrew's crosses can also be found on the cityshields of neighbours
Amstelveen and
Ouder-Amstel. This part of the coat of arms is the basis of the
flag of Amsterdam, flown by the city government, but also as
civil ensign for ships registered in Amsterdam. Second is the
Imperial Crown of Austria — in 1489, out of gratitude for services and loans,
Maximilian I awarded Amsterdam the right to adorn its coat of arms with the
king's crown, in 1508 replaced with Maximilian's imperial crown when he was crowned
Holy Roman Emperor. In the early years of the 17th century, Maximilian's crown in Amsterdam's coat of arms was replaced with the crown of
Emperor Rudolph II, a crown that also would become the Imperial Crown of Austria. The lions date from the late 16th century, when city and province became part of the
Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. Last came the city's official motto:
Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig ("Valiant, Determined, Compassionate"), bestowed on the city in 1947 by
Queen Wilhelmina, in recognition of the city's bravery during
World War II.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Amsterdam'.
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