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Amsterdam the capital city, Culture and the beach

Amsterdam the capital city of Netherlands

Amsterdam
Welcome to Amsterdam and only 30 minute drive from Zandvoort! Amsterdam with a population of 751.000 inhabitants is one of the greatest small cities in the world. From its canals to world-famous museums and historical sights, Amsterdam is one of the most romantic and beautiful cities in Europe.

Amsterdam is also a city of tolerance and diversity. It has all the advantages of a big city: culture, nightlife, international restaurants, good transport - but is quiet, and largely thanks to its canals, has a little road traffic, but beware of bicycles. In Amsterdam your destination is never far away but take a bike for a most authentic experience.

Museums are the main tourist attraction in Amsterdam. Everyone knows the Rijksmuseum(Large museum containing paintings by some of the Netherlands' great 17th century painters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Hals. The Nightwatch by Rembrandt is their prize piece. Contains many artefacts as well as paintings), Van Gogh Museum(Surprisingly spacious, dedicated to Van Gogh and his contemporaries) and the Stedelijk Museum, but there is much more. Amsterdam has over fifty museums which attract millions of visitors each year.

Museums

Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum: Stadhouderskade 42, 1071 ZD Amsterdam. Call: 0031(0)206747000 More info: www.rijksmuseum.nl.

Van Gogh museum

Van Gogh museum: Paulus Potterstraat 7, 1071 CX Amsterdam. Call: 0031(0)205705200. More info: www.vangoghmuseum.nl.

Anna Frank Huis

Anna Frank Huis: Prinsengracht 267, 1016 GV Amsterdam. Call: 0031(0)20 5567100. More info: www.annefrank.org.

Rembrandt's House

Rembrandt's House: www.rembrandthuis.nl Amsterdam Historisch Museum: www.ahm.nl

Amsterdam short History

Amsterdam was founded as a small fishing village in an improbable position on marsh at the mouth of the Amstel River. The waters around the village were controlled by a system of dykes and polders, and the young township expanded prodigiously to become the chief trading city of northern Europe, and ultimately, in the 17th century, the centre of a massive empire stretching across the world.

The construction of the canals and gabled houses in the 16th and 17th centuries - the hallmark Amsterdam - coincided with a period of fine domestic architecture. The glorious result is a city centre of unusually consistent visual beauty. By the 18th century, Amsterdam was a major financial centre, but internal unrest and restrictions imposed under Napoleonic rule led to a decline in her fortunes. Amsterdam quietly slipped into a period of obscurity, and industrialization came late. In the 20th century, however, Amsterdam entered the European mainstream again. Its international airport, expanded in 1993, provides access for the world, and tourists pour in to see the stunning art museums and sample the delights of a modern, vibrant city. More information: Tourist Board Amsterdam, De Ruyterkade 5-7 1013 AA Amsterdam.