AMSTERD

AM
The name Amstelledamme means a
dam on the Amstel river.
It is thought that the
considerations of the layout were
purely practical and defensive
rather than ornamental.
God built the world, but the Dutch
built Holland.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands' nominal

capital, is one of Europe's most interesting
and picturesque cities. It has a broad
spectrum of recreational and cultural .
located in North-West Europe between
Germany in the east, Belgium in the south,
and the North Sea in the north and west.

HISTORY/ ORIGINS OF SETTLEMENT

Amsterdam was founded as a fishing village around the
12th century
The origins of the city lie in the 12th century, when fisherman living along the
banks of the River Amstel built a bridge across the waterway near the IJ, then a
large saltwater inlet.
Wooden locks under the bridge served as a dam; protecting the village from the
rising IJ-waters, which often flooded the early settlement.
The mouth of the river Amstel, where the Damark now is, formed a natural harbour,
which became important for trading-exchange from the larger dogeship into the
smaller ships that sailed the merchandise deeper into the hinterland.

How Economy boosted, how city expanded.

In 1275 the king granted levy on taxes.
Amsterdam's economy floated on beer and herring.
In 1323 the city was awarded a monopoly on the import of beer from Hamburg.
This gave Amsterdam a valuable competitive advantage. Baltic countries had
traditionally dominated the herring trade.

The IJ waterway (pronounced: 'eye')

was still an estuary; in it was a port
directly connected to Damrak.
Ocean-going vessels could sail right
into the city, up to what is
today Dam Square.
Back then, the Dam was covered in
small houses, with a medieval,
gothic city hall. The New
Church (as opposed to the Old
Church built a century earlier in
1300) was also surrounded by
clusters of houses.

Amsterdam circa 1544, before the semi-circular ring of canals was added.

Dam Square, Amsterdam as it appeared c. 1890-1900

Clustered houses, parallel streets of Amsterdam.

And the city limits were defined by the Singel canal to the
west, and the Kloveniersburgwal (wall) to the east.

Amsterdam in 1649, with the first section of canal ring added.

The semi-circle on the south side of the IJ, originally the estuary of the Amstel
to the Zuiderzee (South sea), nowadays canalised. Going east from Central
Station, the railway passes the artificial islands of the redeveloped Eastern
Docklands. North of the IJ is mainly housing, although a major dockland
redevelopment has started there too.

Amsterdam around 1662. The ring of canals is now complete.

The river Amstel flows into the city from the south. Originally, it flowed along
the line Rokin-Damrak. The dam in the Amstel, was located under the
present Bijenkorf department store. The original settlement was on the right
bank of the Amstel, on the present Warmoesstraat: it is therefore the oldest
street in the city.

Amsterdam and surroundings around 1770. The expansion has come to a standstill

The city has expanded in all directions, except to the northeast of the
ring motorway. That area is a protected rural landscape of open fields
and small villages that could be considered a part of the Waterland
region.

Eight strong clusters

In order to give shape to the regions ambitions, eight main economic clusters were designated
for the Amsterdam Area. Sustainability, the primary driving
force behind innovation, is a significant theme evident in all of them.
The clusters are:

Creative Industries
ICT/e-Science
Life Sciences & Health
Financial & Business Services
Logistics
Horticulture & Agri Food
Tourism & Conferences
High tech materials

Amsterdam ideal city ?

De criminalization of drugs
technology, talent and tolerance
Social housing is essentially housing
taken out of the free market and placed
within a cooperative-run entity founded by
a church or a political party.
Green city

CUL
TUR
E

Culture flourished alongside business. Poets and playwrights like

Bredero, Vondel and P.C. Hooft created their immortal works.
Rembrandt and his pupils had their ateliers here.
And the philosophers Spinoza and Descartes ('I think, therefore I
am,') fashioned new insights as food for thought.

CUL
TUR
E

Growing workforce in the arts and creative industries. New development

of cultural spaces and infrastructure: media cluster, art park at the
Westerstraat, former shipyard site of NDSM, Danshuis Amsterdam at
Oostergasfabriek.
Quality of life effects from culture
Wide supply of cultural events for local population; tolerant atmosphere;
bustling street life in shopping centre, quiet, aristocratic central
neighbourhoods.

is the capital of the Netherlands

It is the country's largest city and its financial, cultural, and creative centre.
Amsterdam is colloquially known as Venice of the North, because of its lovely
canals that criss-cross the city, its impressive architecture and more than 1,500
bridges. There is something for every traveller's taste here, whether you prefer
culture and history, serious partying, or just the relaxing charm of an old European
city.

Old Centre
The medieval centre and most visited area of Amsterdam. It is known for its traditional architecture, canals, shopping, and
many coffee shops. Dam Square is considered its ultimate centre, but just as interesting are the areas around Nieuwmarkt and
Spui
Canal Ring
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Canal Ring was dug in the 17th century to attract wealthy home owners. It is still a posh
neighbourhood with many Dutch celebrities owning property.
Jordaan
A traditional working class area gone upmarket with plenty of art galleries, hip boutiques and happening restaurants. Also
includes the Haarlemmerbuurt and the Western Islands.
Bijlmer
An exclave of Amsterdam, the Bijlmer was foreseen as a neighbourhood of the future

Bijlmer
Large apartment blocks
separated by tracts of green.
It turned into a lower-class
residential district home to
people of over 150 nationalities,
often associated with crime and
robberies.
Its safety record has improved
remarkably the last years, but it
still is mostly visited by
adventurous travellers (and
football fans).

South
One of Amsterdam's prime areas, a trip to the city is
not complete without a visit to the Museum Quarter.
You can chill in the Vondel park with a bottle of wine,
or go hunt for bargains at the Albert Cuyp Market. It
is the most popular area for accommodation as rates
are considerably cheaper than in the city centre.
West
A vast suburban area that can be divided in Old and
New West. The Old West is a charming area built in
the late 19th century. The New West was built after
World War II and often catches newspaper
headlines for crime; urban renewal is underway to
improve living conditions in this area.
North
The North is mainly a residential suburb that lies at
the northern side of the IJ, with a rapidly developing
hub of cultural activity along the shore of the river.
Many visitors are attracted to the area east of the
motorway A10, a protected polder area that culturally
belongs to the Waterland and Zaan Region.
East
The East is a large and diverse residential area. The
Eastern Docklands and IJ burg stand out as
relatively affluent neighbourhoods known for their
modern architecture.

Canals of Amsterdam
The Amsterdam canal system is the result of conscious city planning
comprehensive plan was developed that was based on four concentric
half-circles of canals with their ends emerging at the IJ bay. The canals
served for defence, water management and transport. The defences took
the form of a moat and earthen dikes, with gates at transit points
Over the years, several canals have been filled in, becoming streets or
squares, such as the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and the Spui

Six major concentric canals ring the Old Centre; the Singel, the
Herengracht, the Keizersgracht, the Prinsengracht, the Lijnbaansgracht,
and the Singelgracht, together forming the Canal Ring.

Herengracht or Patricians' Canal; Keizersgracht or Emperor's Canal;

and Prinsengracht or Prince's Canal), and a fourth, outer canal, Singelgracht,
for purposes of defence and water management.
The canala were primarily for the transportation of goods, for example, beer,
fishes the conversion of an existing, inner perimeter canal (Singel) from a
defensive purpose to residential and commercial development;

ARCHITECTURE OF AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam has one of the largest historic city centres in Europe, with about 7,000
registered historic buildings. The street pattern has been largely unchanged since
the 19th century there was no major bombing during World War II. The centre
consists of 90 islands linked by 400 bridges, some of them beautifully lit at night.

The best example has to be the Magere

Brug in the Canal Ring, which is over 300
years old and nearly in its original capacity.
It is a beautiful place to overlook the river.

Windmills were not built in urban areas,

since the surrounding buildings obstructed
the wind too much.. There are a total of
eight windmills in outside its city walls of
Amsterdam, and most of them are in West.

God built
the world,
but the
Dutch built
Holland.
The Scheepvaarthuis, by architects Johan van
der Mey, Michel de Klerk, Piet Kramer is
characteristic of architecture of Amsterdam
The Westerkerk, designed by Dutch architect
School style.
Hendrick de Keyser in the Renaissance style. At
ARCHITECTURE STYLES
85m (280 ft) the cathedral's "Westertoren" steeple
PRACTICED IN AMSTERDAM
is the highest in Amsterdam.
The canal houses on the right are characteristic of
the architectural styles from the Dutch Golden Age.
Amsterdam school style

Baroque
Gothic
Renaissance
Art Nouveau
Art Deco
Classicism

Concertgebouw

Rijksmuseum

Van Gogh Museum

CANAL RING HOUSES

Earlier, the taxation for the houses were with respect to width of the house and
not the square meter of the house.
They are characterized by big narrow windows, decorative gable tops, very
narrow stairs inside and pulley outside to transport larger objects to upper floors.
Very often the residences served also as businesses. Merchants houses had their
storage in attics and cellars.
Like in Venice the canals were the main way of transporting the goods.
In a city filled with Canals, upper floors were the safest places to store items that
could easily be ruined by flooding