Amsterdam
In 1275, a document granted road tolls to residents living at the dam in the Amstel. This small fishing village sat where farmers had settled three millennia ago along the prehistoric IJ river. Before that time, the area was wet peatland behind beach ridges. No permanent settlement could exist until water issues were controlled. The All Saint's Flood of 1170 changed everything by turning the shallow river into a wide estuary. This event gave the Amstel an open connection to the Zuiderzee and other waterways. Farmers began reclaiming land upstream from Ouderkerk aan de Amstel as early as the late 10th century. The Van Amstel family held stewardship in this northwestern nook of the ecclesiastical district of the bishop of Utrecht since 1019. A major turning point occurred when the construction of a dam happened between 1264 and 1275. The name Amsterdam developed from Aemsterdam by 1327. The settlement focused on traffic, production, and trade rather than farming.
During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, Amsterdam became the wealthiest city in the Western world. Ships sailed from Amsterdam to the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean, North America, and Africa. The city also traded with present-day Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Brazil. Amsterdam merchants held the largest share in both the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company. In 1602, the Amsterdam office of the Dutch East India Company became the world's first stock exchange. The Bank of Amsterdam started operations in 1609 acting as a full-service bank for merchant bankers. By 1650, the population reached 200,000 people. Herring fishery innovations like the haringbuis invented in 1415 enabled longer voyages. This industry required international trade cooperation and large initial investments in ships. Merchants sold products throughout the continent while bookkeepers divided profits. The city became Europe's most important hub for the shipment of goods. It was also the leading financial centre of the Western world during this period.
Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on the 10th of May 1940 and took control of the country. More than 100,000 Dutch Jews were deported and murdered in Nazi concentration camps. Around 60,000 Jewish inhabitants lived in Amsterdam at the time of the Nazi occupation. Only those provided with safe havens or who returned from camps managed to survive. On the 22nd of February 1941, German authorities arrested 427 Amsterdam Jews and sent them to Mauthausen concentration camp. Only two people survived that specific transport. Trade unions led a protest known as the February strike involving 300,000 participants against the arrests. The occupier responded crudely by smashing union and illegal party activity. Two main waves of arrest culminating in deportation occurred on the 26th of May 1943 and on the 20th of June 1943. Anne Frank and her family were discovered hiding in August 1944. They were sent to Auschwitz where her mother was murdered before moving to Bergen-Belsen. Canadian forces liberated the city on the 5th of May 1945 shortly before the end of the war in Europe.
In the early 17th century, a comprehensive plan developed based on four concentric half-circles of canals. Construction started in 1613 and proceeded from west to east across the breadth of the layout. The canal construction in the southern sector was completed by 1656. Three of the canals were mostly for residential development: Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht. The fourth outermost canal is the Singelgracht which serves as a collective name for all canals in the outer ring. The original plans have been lost so historians speculate on intentions being purely practical and defensive. Residential buildings proceeded slowly after the initial canal work finished. The eastern part covering the area between the Amstel River and IJ Bay has never been implemented. Over centuries several canals filled in becoming streets or squares like Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. In 2010 the Grachtengordel became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city centre now forms a horseshoe shape with the Singel forming the innermost ring.
By 1985 Amsterdam had only 675,570 residents before reurbanization began. Immigration drove much of the population growth in the 2010s. People of non-Western origin made up approximately one-fifth of the population in 2006. More than 30% of the city's children had immigrant backgrounds that year. The first mass immigration came from Indonesia after independence of the Dutch East Indies in the 1940s and 1950s. Guest workers from Turkey, Morocco, Italy, and Spain arrived during the 1960s. A large wave of Surinamese settled in Amsterdam after independence in 1975 mostly in the Bijlmer area. By 2023 autochthons were a minority in 40% of neighborhoods. Segregation along ethnic lines is visible with people concentrating in specific neighborhoods especially in Nieuw-West and Zeeburg. In 2000 Christians formed the largest religious group at 28% while Islam accounted for 8%. Today about 180 nationalities are represented making it one of the most multicultural cities globally.
The Zuidas has become the new financial and legal hub of Amsterdam. Five largest law firms and subsidiaries like Boston Consulting Group operate there. The Port of Amsterdam was the fourth-largest port in Europe by metric tons of cargo in 2014. Cargo throughput reached 97.4 million tons that same year. In 2019 a new lock in IJmuiden opened allowing capacity to grow to 125 million tonnes. Schiphol airport serves as the busiest airport in the Netherlands and third in Europe. More than 5.34 million international visitors arrive annually excluding day-trippers. Two-thirds of hotels are located in the city's centre. Room occupation rates hit 85% in 2017 up from 78% in 2006. A substantial number of large corporations including AkzoNobel, Heineken International, ING Group, and ABN AMRO maintain headquarters here. Technology companies like Uber, Netflix, and Tesla have established European headquarters in the region.
The Rijksmuseum opened in 1885 with nearly one million objects in its collection. Rembrandt's masterpiece The Night Watch remains one of the top pieces displayed inside. The museum underwent a ten-year renovation costing 375 million euros starting in 2003. It reopened fully on the 13th of April 2013 after attracting 2.4 million visitors in 2024. The Van Gogh Museum houses the world's largest collection of his paintings and letters. Approximately 1.8 million people visited this second most popular museum in 2024. The Stedelijk Museum opened in 1895 as Amsterdam's most important modern art institution. Work by Piet Mondrian and Karel Appel fills its permanent collection. The Concertgebouw hosts over seven hundred concerts annually for audiences exceeding 700,000. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra calls this hall home where acoustics are considered among the best globally. The Anne Frank House preserves the hiding place discovered in August 1944. De Wallen offers legal prostitution services from behind windows illuminated with red lights.
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Common questions
When was Amsterdam founded and how did the name originate?
Amsterdam developed from Aemsterdam by 1327 after a dam construction occurred between 1264 and 1275. The settlement grew from a small fishing village where farmers had settled three millennia ago along the prehistoric IJ river.
What happened to Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century?
During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, Amsterdam became the wealthiest city in the Western world. Ships sailed from Amsterdam to the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean, North America, and Africa while merchants held the largest share in both the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company.
How many Jewish inhabitants lived in Amsterdam at the time of the Nazi occupation?
Around 60,000 Jewish inhabitants lived in Amsterdam at the time of the Nazi occupation which began on the 10th of May 1940. More than 100,000 Dutch Jews were deported and murdered in Nazi concentration camps including those arrested on the 22nd of February 1941 who were sent to Mauthausen concentration camp.
When did the Grachtengordel become a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
In 2010 the Grachtengordel became a UNESCO World Heritage Site after construction started in 1613 based on four concentric half-circles of canals. The canal construction in the southern sector was completed by 1656 with three canals mostly for residential development: Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht.
What is the current population composition of Amsterdam as of 2023?
By 2023 autochthons were a minority in 40% of neighborhoods while about 180 nationalities are represented making it one of the most multicultural cities globally. People of non-Western origin made up approximately one-fifth of the population in 2006 and more than 30% of the city's children had immigrant backgrounds that year.