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About Amsterdam |
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Amsterdam is the perfect place for a week-end break or stop over.
Amsterdam, with it's historical monuments, chic shopping streets and
busy markets selling everything from antiques to cheese, Amsterdam
has something for everyone. There are countless attractions for children,
not just for adults, thereas well. You can visit Anne Frank's house,
Artis Zoo or Madame Tussauds. Unmissable for everyone, of course,
is a canal boat tour of this fascinating and vibrant city. Arts and
antiques are for sale in quaint quarters, fashionable and upscale
products in chic shopping streets. In Amsterdam you will not be bored!
You probably know the romantic canals, the numerous bikes ( resulting
in very little mororised traffic)and the exciting night-life. However,
Amsterdam offers more. It has a wide range of places of interest,
historical monuments and museums.
You will find hundreds of Hotels, restaurants, coffeeshops and not
forgetting it's trendy nightlife at the city's colourful Redlight
district. |
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Things to do in Amsterdam |
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Bike Ride to the Tulip fields
You can experience the magnificent flowering bulb fields with thousands
of hyacinths, narcissus and tulips in countless colors on a bicycle:
exciting and very photogenic!
The scenery is beautiful and very Dutch. Most of the lanes you bike
on are specially made for cyclists and almost completely flat! Amid
the fields you will see modern and centuries old country houses, small
towns and then visit a local cafe for a drink or a snack.
IBook a bike tour if you are in Amsterdam in April you should take
this unique opportunity to see all these flowers from a bike in only
half a day! You can enjoy the real Dutch bulb fields instead of tulips
in a park, as far as you can see
Rembrandt Mysteries Tour
In this revealing walk secrets, legends and anecdotes around the life
and an insight into Amsterdam painter, Rembrandt .
The enthusiastic and fun guide will tell you funny and revealing stories.
The guide will tell you about the Red Light ghost and life, public
executions ect. The walk shows you places where Rembrandt lived, teached,
buried his children and painted a monkey in a portrait, criminals
in "Anatomy Lessons" and civic guards in "The Night Watch". You will
will be told inside stories about how he gained money then lost all.
This walk takes you along surprising highlights in the Red Light District
ending at Rembrandt Square.
Windmills
To the east of Amsterdam you will find beautiful windmills, nature
reserves, impressive fortifications, an ancient castle and some medieval
picturesque towns on the former South Sea coast.
Biking on scenic and completely flat paths you will see the winding
river Vecht, amazing windmills, the manoeuvring of ships, typical
Dutch house-boats, very old country-houses, several forts, a beach
town and the magnificent fairy-like 13th century Muiden castle.
See Amsterdam by Canal
The Canal Bus provides the ideal transport along Amsterdam's canals
and gives you a new look on this magnificent city.
Their boats operate a regular service along the canals on three routes:
the Green Line, the Red Line and the Blue Line.
The 11 stops are located near the major museums, attractions and shopping
centres. With a Day Pass, which is valid till 12.00 the next day,
you can 'hop on, hop off' as often as you like. On board there is
a commentary providing interesting information about Amsterdam. Visit
the Canal Bus and you can find out about the All Amsterdam Transport
Pass and the Jazz Cruise! |
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Amsterdam Museums |
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Stedelijk Museum
This is Amsterdam's main modern art museum.
Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam's main museum where all the Dutch masters like the paintings
of Rembrandt, Vermeer and others can be found.
Van Gogh Museum
Here you can see an extensive collection of Vincent van Gogh's paintings.
Rembrandthuis
House in Amsterdam where Rembrandt used to live.
Anne Frank House
This is a museum of the famous Jewish girl who hid away from the Germans
in World War II.
Waterlooplein
Flea market
Huis Marseille
Canal house with art photo exhibitions.
Cobra Museum
Museum about the Cobra group (in Amstelveen)
Windmill 'de Otter'
A windmill, built in 1638, located a bit west of the Jordaan area.
A 'must see ' place to visit.
Zaanse Schans
Popular outside museum in Zaandam .
Dutch National Aviation Museum
Aviation museum located near the Schiphol airport
Arti et Amicitiae
An amazing concept in visual arts with regular exhibitions.
Heineken Museum
Amsterdam is the founding place of Heineken. Visit the museum in 'de
Pijp', Ferdinand Bolstraat/Stadhouderskade.
Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam/Dutch Resistance Museum
This is a museum about the resistance against the German occupation
of Amsterdam during World War II.
Energetica
An interesting museum for elevators, household appliances, energy
technique and city gas.
Sloten Windmill
Windmill in the outskirts of Amsterdam, which the public can visit.
Museum van Loon
An Old canal house, near the Rembrandtplein, with original interior.
Museum Vrolik
Museum with anatomical and zoological parts in bottles, of the University
of Amsterdam
Press Museum
Museum about the history of Dutch printing. |
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Useful Contacts |
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Consulate
British Consulate
Konigslaan 44,
1075 AE Amsterdam
(020) 676 4343
Amsterdam Public Transport
Train Information - Centraal Station: (0900) 92 92 (Premier line)
Train Reservations - Centraal Station: (020) 620 2266
Lost property (GVB metro, trams & buses) -Prins Hendrikkade 108-114
- (020) 551 4911
Lost property (trains) - Stationsplein 15 - (020) 557 8544
Lost property (police) - Waterlooplein 11 - (020) 559 3005
Emergency: 112 |
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History of Amsterdam |
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The History of Amsterdam can be dated back to the 12th century when
a lot of the land was reclaimed from the sea after the Amstel river
was damed, hence the name from 'Amstel Dam'.
But it was in the 14th and 15th century when the city really established
it's self. A large amount of building took place, but due to their
construction being wood, only a few buildings can be found today,
although a large amount of it's dwellings are of timber construction.
Since Amsterdam has over 20,000 buildings, 6,500 historical buildings
that have warranted the Dutch government to deem protected monuments
of national importance with more than another 1,500 of cultural historical
interest. About 2,400 still require restoration, 280 critically. This
surely makes Amsterdam a place of historical importance in the whole
of the EU, if not the world.
From the 17th century, the shape of Amsterdam's city centre was designed
in the shape of a crescent, combining it canals that ring round the
city, and it's small, narrow streets into this unique network. The
canals spread from the centre to the city outskirts to the squares,
which were used as meeting areas.
Following the French occupation in the late 1700's the city fell into
a ressesion and suffered, due to the lack of occupency and maintanence.
But fortunately some facades and interiors dating back to the Empire
period survive today.
The fundimental character of the Amsterdam city centre is given by
its 17th and 18th century houses, which was once owned by wealthy
merchants and prominent citizens. The Amsterdam architecture is based
of the Classical style which took over from it's Gothic reign.
Amsterdam suffered it most damage In the second half of the 19th century
this monumental whole was severely threatened. It's canals were filled
in, streets were widened and bridges lowered. Many irreplaceable buildings
were demolished in the process of restructuring the city. This was
done to make the city centre more easily accessible to traffic. These
projects were completed even after the World War II. In the 1950s
the city saw the error of it's ways and this practice came to an end
, large-scale urban development was abandoned.
Today, these large-scale projects affecting the historical city centre
in order to accommodate the needs of modern traffic are no longer
to be expected. The monumental mansions are now being restored to
their original residential functions after undergoing drastic alterations
during the 19th and 20th centuries, when many of them were turned
into offices.
In 1953 the Municipal Department for the Preservation and Restoration
of Monuments and Sites, an extensive restoration project began. These
historic buildings are lovingly restored and saved from destruction.
The ring of canals were also restored to their former glory.
Over twenty years ago, only 60,000 people lived in the city centre.
Over the past twenty years this has gone up to 80,000. However positive
this development may be, it is anything but a cause for satisfaction.
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