List of tourist attractions in Amsterdam

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I Amsterdam symbol with the Rijksmuseum in the background.

Amsterdam, one of Europe's capitals, has many attractions for visitors. The city's most famous sight is the 17th-century canals of Amsterdam (in Dutch: grachtengordel), located in the heart of Amsterdam, have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Museums[]

Nemo museum in Amsterdam

Churches[]

The Westerkerk
  • Oude Kerk ("Old Church") (ca. 1306).
  • Nieuwe Kerk ("New Church") (1408).
  • Zuiderkerk ("Southern Church"), the city's first church built specifically for Protestant services (1603–1611).
  • Noorderkerk ("Northern Church") (1620–1623).
  • Westerkerk ("Western Church"), finished in 1638 after a design by Hendrick de Keyser.
  • Oosterkerk ("Eastern Church"), construction was completed in 1671.
  • Ronde Lutherse Kerk ("Round Lutheran Church"), the first round Lutheran church in the Netherlands, with a copper dome.
  • English Reformed Church, in fact part of the Church of Scotland. One of the oldest buildings in Amsterdam, situated in the Begijnhof, right in the centre of the city.
  • De Krijtberg, a Neo-Gothic church with twin towers at the Singel canal.
  • St Nicholas's Basilica, a Neo-Renaissance and Baroque Roman Catholic basilica.
  • De Duif ("The Dove")
  • Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder ("Our Lord in the Attic"), also known as Museum Amstelkring, a church hidden in an attic.
  • De papegaai ("The Parrot"), located in the busy Kalverstraat, a Neo-Gothic church built in 1848.
  • Mozes en Aäronkerk ("Moses and Aaron Church"), a Neoclassic church with twin towers on Waterlooplein.

Bridges[]

  • The Magere Brug is probably the most famous drawbridge in Amsterdam.
  • The Blauwbrug, which connects the Rembrandtplein area with the Waterlooplein area.
  • The Python Bridge, bridge connects Sporenburg to Borneo Island and won the International Footbridge Award 2002.

Buildings[]

Amsterdam Heritage City view from Lookout
Houses in Amsterdam
  • Royal palace, former town hall, built in 1648.
  • Stopera, combined town hall and opera house.
  • Kalvertoren, shopping mall located in the busy Kalverstraat.
  • AEX, stock exchange.
  • Beurs van Berlage, originally designed as a commodity exchange by architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage, now used for conferences.
  • Centraal Station, neo-Gothic building.
  • Waag, built as part of the city's fortifications in 1481-1494, later a weighing house, now a cafe and museum.
  • Montelbaanstoren, built in 1512 as a part of the city's fortifications.
  • Munttoren, the tower was built in 1619–1620 and it is the southern tower among all other ones in Amsterdam
  • Magna Plaza, a former post office dating back to 1899 converted into a shopping mall in 1990
  • Lloyd Hotel, built between 1917 and 1920 as an emigrants' hotel.
  • East India House, headquarters of Dutch East India Company, a 17th-century Dutch trading giant, from 1606 to 1798. Now a university building.
  • Rembrandt Tower, a 150-metre skyscraper.
  • Bijlmerbajes, a former prison complex in Amsterdam near Amstel station.
Amsterdam in winter
  • Johan Cruyff Arena, a football stadium, home to Ajax football club.
  • A'dam Tower, a 100-meter-high lookout near the IJ river.
  • Begijnhof, one of the oldest inner courts in Amsterdam.
  • Portuguese Synagogue, impressive building founded by the Sephardic Jewish community in 1670.
  • El Tawheed Mosque, a mosque founded in 1986.
  • Homomonument, a memorial in the centre of Amsterdam commemorating all gay men and lesbians who have been subjected to persecution because of their sexual orientation.
  • Millennium Tower, a 97.5-metre, 24-floor office building.
  • Olympic Stadium, built as the main stadium for the 1928 Summer Olympics. It was designed by the architect Jan Wils.
  • The Amsterdam Metro, a metro system with five lines.
  • Public Library by architect J. Coenen on Oosterdokseiland, near Central Station. Has a wonderful view over the city.
  • Shan He Hua Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Europe built in the traditional Chinese style.
  • The Smallest House in Amsterdam, only 2.02 meters (6 ft., 7.5 in.) in width and 5 meters (16 ft. 4.0 in.) in depth.
The Stopera

Concert halls[]

Diamond factories[]

Diamond polisher
  • Coster Diamonds, one of the oldest diamond polishing factories in the Netherlands

Red-light districts[]

Squares[]

Waterlooplein

There are many squares (suffixed with plein) in Amsterdam. Here is a partial list of some of the better-known ones:

Open-air markets[]

Entrance of Amsterdam Zoo

Breweries[]

Zoos[]

  • Artis, the oldest zoo in the Netherlands.

Periodic events[]

  • January - National Tulip Day, opening of the tulip season on Dam Square.
  • April - (till 2013) Koninginnedag, Queen's day, 30 April, former Queen Juliana's birthday, also the day Juliana transferred her title to her daughter Beatrix.
  • April - (from 2014) Koningsdag King's day, 27 April, King Willem Alexander's birthday.
  • June - The Amsterdam Roots Festival, last week of June, an international music festival.
  • June - Holland Festival is an international festival for theater, music, dance, opera, film, and art, throughout the month of June.
  • August - Amsterdam Pride, the first weekend of August, gay pride weekend.
  • August - Hartjesdag, 3rd weekend in August.
  • August - Uitmarkt, last weekend in August, the start of the cultural season.
  • August - Amsterdam Tournament, late August, International Football tournament hosted by AFC Ajax.
  • August - Sail Amsterdam, a five-yearly event, when tall ships from all over the world can be visited; next event 2025.
  • October - Amsterdam Marathon, mid-October.
  • October - Amsterdam Dance Event, world's biggest electronic music conference and club festival, mid-October.
  • October – The Bock Beer Festival in the Beurs van Berlage (Old Stock Exchange).
  • October – Grachtenrace (Canal Race), 25 km rowing race, 2nd Saturday in October.
  • November - Shadow Festival of Documentary Film.
  • November – December The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
  • November - Cannabis Cup, mid-November annual cannabis competition, hosted by High Times.
  • December - 1 December 2012. Amsterdam Showcase, International Art Fair at De Oude Kerk, Oudekerkseplein 23.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Red Light District in Amsterdam". Retrieved 19 December 2009.
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