Amsterdam is the largest city in the Netherlands and its capital. It was founded in the 12th century and since then it has become one of the most important ports in the world and one of the favorite tourist destinations. It has more than 800,000 inhabitants and 1 million bicycles. Thanks to its Red Light District, its permissiveness with cannabis and its liberal policies, it is considered a tolerant city with a great nightlife. Join us to know 30 fascinating sights of Amsterdam .
Amsterdam, in addition, is a great cultural center in which to visit important museums while you walk through its streets, you delight in its parks or navigate its channels, adding to the almost 18 million people who visit it annually. Do you want to know more about this city?
30 Curiosities of Amsterdam
1. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, but its government does not reside in this city, but in The Hague.
2. Tram number 2 of Amsterdam 110 years ago that makes the same tour of the city. If we quote it as one of the curiosities of Amsterdam it's because National Geographic has nominated him as one of the most beautiful riders in the world.
3. On the south side of the Vondelpark you can see an original sculpture by Picasso. It is called "Figure découpée l'Oiseau" and is in the park since 1956, the year in which Picasso donated it to Amsterdam after an exhibition.
4. Amsterdam is below sea level. If you want to check it scientifically you can go to the City Council of Amsterdam and see some columns with water that indicate it. It is the "Normaal Amsterdams Peil".
5. Schiphol, the Amsterdam airport, is 4 meters below sea level.
6. The Torensluis bridge is one of the oldest in Amsterdam. Formerly it had a tower of more than 50 meters that served as a public belfry and also as a prison. At present, only the bridge remains where the windows with bars of the dungeons can still be seen. These have been restored and are used for exhibitions and other events.
7. Another of the curiosities of Amsterdam It's called Zevenlandenhuizen. It is a row of houses in the neighborhood of Amsterdam Vondelpark that are built following the styles of 7 different nations: Spain, Italy, Russia, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. They were built in 1894 and are the work of the Dutch architect Tjeerd Kuipers.
8. If you walk through Overstoom and smell on horseback, it is not a hallucination. After an anodyne façade which is accessed by Vondelstraat there is a fantastic baroque riding school where you can have a coffee while watching the horses and riders evolve.
9. Amsterdam is a city of canals and bicycles; the union of these two elements means that more than 10,000 bicycles are removed from the channels every year! that for various reasons have gone to the water.
10. The water in the canals is so pure that it is said that the elephants of the Amsterdam Zoo, the Artis, drink their water directly.
11. In 1927 it was opened in Amsterdam which is officially considered the first gay bar in the Netherlands. The Cafe 't Mandje in Zeedijk 63, is still open as one of the curiosities of Amsterdam .
12. You will see that many houses in Amsterdam are slightly crooked. This is because they were built on wooden posts many of which were installed in the seventeenth century and over the years the buildings have been twisted by being stuck in swampy land.
13. The Royal Palace of Dam Square, formerly not a palace, but the City Hall of Amsterdam, is supported by more than 13,500 wooden poles.
14. The Red Light District of Amsterdam is one of its main tourist attractions. It is dedicated to prostitution and people from all over the world sit behind the windows that light up with red lights. The city of Amsterdam is closing many of these houses in an attempt to regulate this activity and end illegal prostitution and trafficking.
15. The reason they are behind a window is that street prostitution was not allowed in the 1930s, but they could be behind a window and attract customers from there.
16. If the light in the window is not red, but purple or blue it usually means that she is a transsexual prostitute.
17. Another of the curiosities of Amsterdam is to be the most multicultural city in the world. It is home to the largest number of nationalities on the planet.
18. Amsterdam is a city that loves bicycles. 60% of the transfers within the city are made by this means of transport.
19. Amsterdam is among the 25 safest cities in the world.
20. The Dutch capital is the second city in the world in which its inhabitants consume more coffee per capita. A total of 3.2 cups per person per day.
21. Amsterdam is known as "the Venice of the North". Making a comparison, has 12 channels less than the Italian city, but 872 more bridges!
22. On the West Canal of the Amsterdam Central Station you will see one of the curiosities of Amsterdam since there is the Poezenboot. It is a houseboat dedicated to street cats. There they are cared for by a specialized association that is financed with the sale of T-shirts and other items and design.
23. In addition to this houseboat for cats, in the city there are more than 2,500 houseboats that are private residences. Some of them can be rented.
24. In Amsterdam you will find many narrow houses. The one that has the title of "narrowest" has a front meter and is in Singel, 7. That is because in the past a tax was paid according to the width of the façade.
25. If you like to visit old shops, in this city you have the opportunity to see an original eighteenth century herbalist in Nieuwmarkt is the Jacob Hooy & co. It retains its original design and numerous elements from the time it was founded is in Koveniersburgwal 12, Amsterdam Center.
26. The Amsterdam Coffee Shop is legal although the production, marketing and possession of cannabis is technically illegal in the Netherlands. They are governed by strict rules and if they do not comply they easily lose the license.
27. In addition to the well-known museums such as the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum, the Van Gogh Museum or the Anne Frank House, among the curiosities of Amasterdam there are other smaller and more surprising museums such as the Las Conchas Museum, the Traditional Costume Museum, the Floating House Museum, the Museum of Glasses and many more.
28. The name of Amsterdam comes from the river Amstel on which it is built and from the word "dam" which means prey.
29. It has traditionally been said that the symbol XXX on the shield of Amsterdam is related to St. Andrew who was martyred on a cross in the form of blades. However, historians believe that it has its origin in the coat of arms of the Persijn family, one of whose members, Jan Persijn, was lord of Amstelledamme ( Amsterdam ) in the thirteenth century.
30. The last of these curiosities of Amsterdam we will dedicate it to the athletes: The Ajax captain's armband, the Amsterdam-based football team, sports the city's flag, three white crosses on a black background.
Other Curiosities of Cities
And if you love to travel and know the secrets of the different countries and their urban centers, you can discover with us curiosities of Europe , from the most surprising data from other wonderful cities that you will surely be interested in such as:
- Curiosities of Barcelona
- Curiosities of Seville
- Curiosities of Madrid
- Curiosities of Bilbao
- Curiosities of London
- Curiosities of Paris
- Curiosities of Prague
- Curiosities of Venice
- Curiosities of Florence
As you can see, the "Venice of the North" hides a myriad of secrets and interesting places to discover. What do you think about our selection of curiosities of Amsterdam ? Do you know any that we have not taken into account? Tell us and we can expand this list of curiosities.
Images: , FaceMePLS , , J. Patrick Fischer