Holiday Destination: Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The city's status as the capital of the nation is governed by the constitution. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. It comprises the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe. Amsterdam's name is derived from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin a dam in the river Amstel. Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading center for finance and diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were formed. The 17th century canals of Amsterdam, located in the heart of Amsterdam, were added to the World Heritage List in July 2010. As Netherlands' commercial capital and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities study group. The city is also cultural capital of the Netherlands.

Climate

Summer 22.0 °C (71.6 °F), Winter 0.8 °C (33.4 °F)

Tourist Season

Peaks in July and August is the best for visiting Amsterdam.

Accommodation

Hotels and Apartments.

General Information Of Amsterdam

• Land Area: 85 sq mi (219 km2)
• Population: 7 Lakh.
• Capital City: Amsterdam.
• Language: English and Dutch .

Tourist Attraction in or Near by Amsterdam

Canals of Amsterdam

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has been called the Venice of the North for its more than one hundred kilometres of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. The 17th century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, were placed on the World Heritage List in 2010.

Museums

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities throughout the world and more local ones exist in smaller cities, towns and even the countryside. The continuing acceleration in the digitization of information, combined with the increasing capacity of digital information storage, is causing the traditional model of museums static collections of collections of three dimensional specimens and artifacts to expand to include virtual exhibits and high resolution images of their collections for perusal, study, and exploration from any place with Internet connectivity.

Campo Pequeno

In the Christian and some other religions, a church is a building or structure to facilitate the meeting of its members. Originally, Jewish Christians met in synagogues, such as the Cenacle, and in one another's homes, known as house churches. As Christianity grew and became more accepted by governments, notably with the Edict of Milan, rooms and, eventually, entire buildings were set aside for the explicit purpose of Christian worship, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Traditional church buildings are often in the shape of a cross and frequently have a tower or dome. More modern church buildings have a variety of architectural styles and layouts; many buildings that were designed for other purposes have now been converted for church use; and, similarly, many original church buildings have been put to other uses.

Bridges

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle. Designs of bridges vary depending on the function of the bridge, the nature of the terrain where the bridge is constructed, the material used to make it and the funds available to build it. The first bridges were made by nature itself as simple as a log fallen across a stream or stones in the river. The first bridges made by humans were probably spans of cut wooden logs or planks and eventually stones, using a simple support and crossbeam arrangement.

Westerkerk

The Westerkerk is a church of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands denomination in Amsterdam, built in 1620-1631 after a design by Hendrick de Keyser. It is next to Amsterdam's Jordaan district, on the bank of the Prinsengracht canal. The spire, called the Westertoren, is the highest church tower in Amsterdam, at 85 mt. The crown topping the spire is the Imperial Crown of Austria of Maximilian I. The church bells were made by François Hemony in 1648. Rembrandt van Rijn was buried in the Westerkerk on October 8, 1669. The exact location of the grave is unknown, but presumed to be somewhere along the northern wall. Rembrandt's lover Hendrickje Stoffels is also buried here, as is Rembrandt's son Titus van Rijn. Other painters buried in the Westerkerk are Nicolaes Berchem, Gillis d'Hondecoeter, Melchior d'Hondecoeter and Govert Flinck. The church organ is decorated with doors painted by Gerard de Lairesse.

Jewish Quarter

Amsterdam has historically been the center of the Dutch Jewish community, and has had a continuing Jewish community for the last 370 years. Although the Holocaust deeply affected the Jewish community, killing some 80% of the some 80,000 Jews at time present in Amsterdam, since then the community has managed to rebuild a vibrant and living Jewish life for its approximately 15,000 present members. The former Mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, is Jewish. Cohen was runner-up for the award of World Mayor in 2006.

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum in Amsterdam, located on the Museumplein. The museum is dedicated to arts, crafts, and history. It has a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and a substantial collection of Asian art. It also displays the stern of the HMS Royal Charles which was captured in the Raid on the Medway, and the Hartog plate. It was inspired by French example. By then it was known as the National Art Gallery. In 1808 the museum moved to Amsterdam on the orders of king Louis Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. The paintings owned by that city, such as The Night Watch by Rembrandt, became part of the collection.

Van Gogh Museum

The Van Gogh Museum is an art museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, dedicated to the works of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. It has the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world. The museum had 1,600,300 visitors in 2011. It is the most visited museum in the Netherlands and the 23rd most visited art museum worldwide. The collection was inherited by her son Vincent Willem van Gogh in 1925, eventually loaned to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam where it displayed for many years, and was transferred to the state initiated Vincent van Gogh Foundation in 1962.

Leidseplein

The Leidseplein is a square in central Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Lying in the southwest of the Grachtengordel district of Amsterdam, the Leidseplein is immediately northeast of the Singelgracht canal. It is situated on the crossroads of the Weteringschans, the Marnixstraat, and the Leidsestraat. The Leidsestraat was originally named for being the road to Leiden. The Leidseplein is one of the busiest centres for nightlife in the city. Historically, the square was the end of the road from Leinden, and served as a parking lot for horse drawn traffic. Today, modern traffic travels through the square and side streets are packed with restaurants and nightclubs. The Stadsschouwburg, a theater, is the most notable architectural landmark on the square.

Artis Zoos

Artis, short for Natura Artis Magistra, is a zoo in the centre of Amsterdam. It is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands. In addition to the zoo, Artis has an aquarium, a planetarium, a geological museum, and a zoological museum. The zoo is a member of the Dutch Zoo Federation, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, the International Species Information System, and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Vondelpark

The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located in the stadsdeel Amsterdam Oud Zuid, west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. The park was opened in 1865 and originally named the Nieuwe Park, but later renamed to "Vondelpark", after the 17th century author Joost van den Vondel. Yearly, the park has around 10 million visitors. In the park is an open air theatre, a playground and several horeca facilities.

Accessibility

Bus Terminal in or Near by

Eurolines Nederland - tickets shop Rokin

Rokin 38A
KT Binnenstad, Netherlands

Canal Bike

Weteringschans 26
Amsterdam, Netherlands

NH Central Station

Distelkade 21
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Busstop Taverne

Theresiastraat 36
2593 AP The Hague, Netherlands

Airport

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS): For International and Domestic flights.

Railway Stations

Station Amsterdam-Muiderpoort

Oosterspoorplein 1
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Sixt Amsterdam Central Train Station

Prins Hendrikkade 20
TL Binnenstad, Netherlands