Amsterdam by Harry Herman

Amsterdam has been the capital of the Netherlands since 1808 and the capital of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1815. The city lies on the River IJ, the North Sea Canal and the mouth of the River Amstel in the municipality of Amsterdam, in the province of North Holland. The municipality of Amsterdam is the most populous municipality in the Netherlands (918,117 as at 1 January 2023).

Amsterdam owes its name to its location near a dam in the River Amstel, built in the 13th century. In the Amsterdam dialect, the city is also known as ‘Mokum’, a nickname derived from Yiddish. The settlement was granted city rights shortly after 1300, became a place of pilgrimage in 1345 following the Miracle of Amsterdam, and was one of the world’s most important port and trading cities during the Golden Age. An influx of foreigners, mainly from the Southern Netherlands, Germany and the Scandinavian countries, led to the city’s expansion from the end of the 16th century onwards, including the construction of the final canals of the fortifications known as the Canal Belt, which was added to the World Heritage List in 2010.

Famous sights in Amsterdam include the Canal Ring, the Rijksmuseum – renowned for its rich collection of Golden Age paintings – the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. The Red Light District and the coffee shops are also major attractions in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is home to two universities and several universities of applied sciences.