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Royal Palace of Amsterdam
Amsterdam , one of
Europe 's capitals, has many attractions for visitors. The city's most famous sight is the 17th-century
canals of Amsterdam (in
Dutch : grachtengordel ), located in the heart of Amsterdam, have been added to the
UNESCO World Heritage List .
Museums
Nemo museum in Amsterdam
The
Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands.
The
Van Gogh Museum specialises in works by Vincent van Gogh.
The
Stedelijk Museum specialises in modern art.
The
Rembrandt House Museum specialises in works by Rembrandt van Rijn.
The
Anne Frank House , Prinsengracht 263.
The
Museum Het Grachtenhuis (The Canal House Museum), gateway to the canals, Herengracht 386
The
H'ART Museum
The
Tropenmuseum , anthropological museum.
The
NEMO , the science museum in a building that looks like a sinking ship.
The
Verzetsmuseum , the Amsterdam resistance museum.
The
Amsterdam Museum , Amsterdam's historical museum.
The
Allard Pierson Museum , Archaeological Museum of the University of Amsterdam.
The
Bijbels Museum , where the
Bible , art and culture meet in a monument full of history.
The
Filmmuseum , Holland's museum for cinematography.
The
Joods Historisch Museum , The Jewish Historical Museum collects objects and works of art associated with the religion, culture and history of the Jews in the Netherlands and its former colonies.
The
Museum Van Loon , a home on the canal. The double-sized canal house dates from 1672.
The
Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum , museum about Dutch maritime history. Reopened on the 1 October 2011 after renovations since January 2007.
Diamond Museum Amsterdam , a museum at the Museumplein about the history of diamonds.
Churches
The Westerkerk
Oude Kerk ("Old Church") (ca. 1306).
Nieuwe Kerk ("New Church") (1408).
Zuiderkerk ("Southern Church"), the city's first church built specifically for
Protestant services (1603–1611).
Noorderkerk ("Northern Church") (1620–1623).
Westerkerk ("Western Church"), finished in 1638 after a design by
Hendrick de Keyser .
Oosterkerk ("Eastern Church"), construction was completed in 1671.
Ronde Lutherse Kerk ("Round Lutheran Church"), the first round
Lutheran church in the Netherlands, with a copper dome.
English Reformed Church , in fact part of the
Church of Scotland . One of the oldest buildings in Amsterdam, situated in the
Begijnhof , right in the centre of the city.
De Krijtberg , a Neo-Gothic church with twin towers at the Singel canal.
St Nicholas's Basilica , a Neo-Renaissance and Baroque Roman Catholic basilica.
De Duif ("The Dove")
Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder ("Our Lord in the Attic"), also known as Museum Amstelkring, a church hidden in an attic.
De papegaai ("The Parrot"), located in the busy
Kalverstraat , a Neo-Gothic church built in 1848.
Mozes en Aäronkerk ("Moses and Aaron Church"), a Neoclassic church with twin towers on
Waterlooplein .
Bridges
The
Magere Brug is probably the most famous drawbridge in Amsterdam.
The
Blauwbrug , which connects the Rembrandtplein area with the Waterlooplein area.
The
Python Bridge , bridge connects Sporenburg to Borneo Island and won the International Footbridge Award 2002.
Buildings
Amsterdam Heritage City view from Lookout
Houses in Amsterdam
Munttoren
Royal Palace , former town hall, built in 1648.
Stopera , combined town hall and opera house.
Kalvertoren , shopping mall located in the busy Kalverstraat.
AEX , stock exchange.
Beurs van Berlage , originally designed as a commodity exchange by architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage, now used for conferences.
Centraal Station , neo-Gothic building.
Waag , built as part of the city's fortifications in 1481-1494, later a
weighing house , now a cafe and museum.
Montelbaanstoren , built in 1512 as a part of the city's fortifications.
Munttoren , the tower was built in 1619–1620 and it is the southern tower among all other ones in
Amsterdam
Magna Plaza , a former post office dating back to 1899 converted into a shopping mall in 1990
Lloyd Hotel , built between 1917 and 1920 as an emigrants' hotel.
East India House , headquarters of
Dutch East India Company , a 17th-century Dutch trading giant, from 1606 to 1798. Now a university building.
Rembrandt Tower , a 150-metre skyscraper.
Bijlmerbajes , a former prison complex in Amsterdam near
Amstel station .
Amsterdam in winter
Johan Cruyff Arena , a football stadium, home to
Ajax football club.
A'dam Tower, a 100-meter-high lookout near the IJ river.
Begijnhof , one of the oldest inner courts in Amsterdam.
Portuguese Synagogue , impressive building founded by the
Sephardic Jewish community in 1670.
El Tawheed Mosque , a mosque founded in 1986.
Homomonument , a memorial in the centre of Amsterdam commemorating all gay men and lesbians who have been subjected to persecution because of their sexual orientation.
Millennium Tower , a 97.5-metre, 24-floor office building.
Olympic Stadium , built as the main stadium for the
1928 Summer Olympics . It was designed by the architect
Jan Wils .
The
Amsterdam Metro , a metro system with five lines.
Public Library by architect J. Coenen on Oosterdokseiland, near Central Station. Has a wonderful view over the city.
Shan He Hua Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Europe built in the traditional Chinese style.
The Smallest House in Amsterdam , only 2.02 meters (6 ft., 7.5 in.) in width and 5 meters (16 ft. 4.0 in.) in depth.
The Stopera
Concert halls
Diamond factories
Diamond polisher
Coster Diamonds , one of the oldest diamond polishing factories in the Netherlands
Red-light districts
Squares
Waterlooplein
There are many squares (suffixed with plein ) in Amsterdam. Here is a partial list of some of the better-known ones:
The
Dam , the central square of Amsterdam, where stands the Royal Palace on the Dam and the Netherlands National Monument.
Koningsplein .
Leidseplein , a plaza on the southwest end of the Leidsestraat.
Muntplein , at the intersection of Kalverstraat and Rokin, a
town square centered on the old Tower of the Mint (
Munttoren ).
Museumplein , southwest of the
Rijksmuseum , holds the
Stedelijk Museum and the
Van Gogh Museum .
Rembrandtplein .
Waterlooplein , south of the
Rembrandt House Museum , the site of an open-air market.
Markenplein , a place which holds
Netherlands Film and Television Academy (NFTA), close by the
Waterlooplein .
Open-air markets
Entrance of Amsterdam Zoo
Breweries
Zoos
Artis , the oldest zoo in the Netherlands.
Periodic events
January -
National Tulip Day , opening of the tulip season on
Dam Square .
April - (till 2013) Koninginnedag, Queen's day , 30 April, former Queen
Juliana 's birthday, also the day Juliana transferred her title to her daughter
Beatrix .
April - (from 2014)
Koningsdag King's day , 27 April, King
Willem Alexander 's birthday.
June - The Amsterdam Roots Festival, last week of June, an international music festival.
June -
Holland Festival is an international festival for theater, music, dance, opera, film, and art, throughout the month of June.
August -
Amsterdam Pride , the first weekend of August,
gay pride weekend.
August -
Hartjesdag , 3rd weekend in August.
August -
Uitmarkt , last weekend in August, the start of the cultural season.
August -
Amsterdam Tournament , late August, International Football tournament hosted by
AFC Ajax .
August -
Sail Amsterdam , a five-yearly event, when
tall ships from all over the world can be visited; next event 2025.
October -
Amsterdam Marathon , mid-October.
October -
Amsterdam Dance Event , world's biggest electronic music conference and club festival, mid-October.
October – The
Bock Beer Festival in the
Beurs van Berlage (Old Stock Exchange).
October – Grachtenrace (Canal Race), 25 km rowing race, 2nd Saturday in October.
November -
Shadow Festival of Documentary Film .
November – December The
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) .
November -
Cannabis Cup , mid-November annual cannabis competition, hosted by
High Times .
December - 1 December 2012. Amsterdam Showcase, International Art Fair at De Oude Kerk, Oudekerkseplein 23.
See also
Symbols History Neighborhoods Lists
References