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City Facts
Amsterdam, the capital of
The Netherlands (though not the seat of Government) is one of Europe’s
great destinations, as popular with tourists as it is with businesspeople.
Amsterdam’s lifeblood is water, which courses through the city in a
concentric network of canals and waterways spanned by more than 1000
bridges. As Amsterdam is inextricably linked with water, one of the most
attractive ways of viewing the city is on a canal tour. Many of the houses
date back to The Netherlands’ golden age in the 17th century. These
narrow-fronted merchants’ houses are characterized by the traditionally
Dutch ornamented gables. The oldest part of the city is Nieuwmarkt,
located near the first canals – Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht
– built to protect the city against invasion. In the 17th century,
Amsterdam gained a reputation for religious tolerance, which attracted thousands
of Flemish, Walloon and French Protestants, as well as Jewish merchants
from Spain, Portugal and Central Europe. The city has also long been a
center for diamond cutting and it is still possible to see diamond cutters
at work.
Boasting 53 museums, 61 art galleries, 12
concert halls and 20 theaters, Amsterdam has a booming cultural life. A
special canal boat (the ‘museum boat’) links 20 of the major museums. A
special Museum
Pass entitling holders to free entry to
over 400 museums is available from participating museums and local tourist
offices.
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is the
largest museum in Holland and attracts well over a million visitors each
year. It is internationally celebrated for its exhibitions and publications
as well as its scholarships and research. The museum features works by
Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Breitner, as well as dolls houses, silver, prints and
drawings, delftware, furniture, weaponry, ship models and Buddhas. Fellow Dutch artist Van Gogh is celebrated
throughout the city, with the Rembrandt
House Museum, housed in the historical building where the great
artist used to live and work. The Stedelijk
Museum of Modern Art, a collection of Dutch and international art
from 1850 onwards, includes works by Cézanne, Chagall, Monet and Picasso,
as well as photography, video, film and industrial design.
A more light-hearted attraction is the Heineken Brewery. Heineken,
the Dutch national brewer, is the world’s second-largest brewing empire and
this brewery, which operated from 1932-1988, is now a museum. There are
daily guided tours, which culminate with ice-cold samples of the famous
beer.
One
Night in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is justifiably famous
for its nightlife with few other European cities managing to quite satisfy
every conceivable taste in the same way as The Netherlands’ capital. Within
a few blocks, well-heeled couples idle away an evening in a canal-side
gourmet restaurant, and a group of backpackers stumble across the cobbles
after a night in a cheery pub, as just around the corner the local trendies pose their way through an evening in a new-style
bar. Then there is the Opera House, the string of concert venues, the
football stadium, some of Europe’s best nightclubs and the jazz cafes, to
name a few other nocturnal pastimes in Amsterdam. And, of course, there are
the seedier ways to spend an evening, either exploring the infamous coffee
shops of a city where soft drugs are not only allowed, but are sold over
the counter, and the Red Light District.
Useful Websites
Fodors: Amsterdam
Netherlands Board of Tourism
New York Times Travel Guide
Wikitravel: Amsterdam
Yahoo Travel: Amsterdam
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