Information AboutAmsterdam |
|
;Location ;Flag ;Country : Netherlands ;Province : North Holland ;Population :742,951( 1 January 2005 ) ;Coordinates : ;Website : www.amsterdam.nl ; Mayor : Job Cohen Amsterdam, () the Capital of the Netherlands , lies on the banks of two bodies of water, the IJ Bay and the Amstel river. Founded in the late 12th Century as a small fishing village on the banks of the Amstel , it is now the largest city in the country and its financial and cultural centre. As of 2005, the population of the city proper is 742,951 City of Amsterdam statistics service in Dutch ; the population of the greater Amsterdam area is approximately 1.5 million. Amsterdam has one of the largest historic city centres in Europe, dating largely from the 17th century, the Golden Age Of The Netherlands , of which it was the focal point. At this time, a series of concentric, semi-circular canals were built around the older city centre, which still defines its layout and appearance today. Many fine houses and mansions are situated along the canals; most are lived in, others are now offices, and some are public buildings. Some of the narrow brick houses are gradually sinking because they are built on wooden Pile s to cope with the marshy subsoil. The city is noted for many outstanding museums, including the Rijksmuseum , the Van Gogh Museum , the Stedelijk Museum , Rembrandt House Museum , the Anne Frank House , and its world-class symphony orchestra, the Concertgebouworkest , whose home base is the Concertgebouw . Notable are also its Red-light District , '' De Wallen '', and its numerous " Coffee Shop s" selling Cannabis . Although Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, it is neither the capital of the province in which it is located, North Holland (which is Haarlem ), nor the seat of government of the Netherlands (which is The Hague ). HISTORY See Also: History of Amsterdam Amsterdam was founded as a fishing village in the in 1300 or 1301 . From the 14th Century on, Amsterdam flourished, largely on the basis of trade with the cities of the Hanseatic League . The 16th Century brought a rebellion by the Dutch against Philip II Of Spain and his successors, escalating into the Eighty Years' War which ultimately led to Dutch independence. The Dutch Republic became known for its relative religious tolerance and Jew s from Spain and Portugal , prosperous merchants from Antwerp (economic and religious refugees from the part of the Low Countries still controlled by Spain), Huguenots from France (persecuted for their religion) sought safety in Amsterdam. It was the rich, refined migrants from Flanders who set the tone (their Brabant dialects became the basis of standard written Dutch) and made Holland a Mercantile power. in the late 17th century: painting by Gerrit Adriaensz. Berckheyde (Gemäldegalerie, Dresden)]] The 17th Century is considered Amsterdam's "Golden Age". In the early 17th century Amsterdam was the richest city in Europe. Ships sailed from Amsterdam to North America , Africa and present-day Indonesia and Brazil and formed the basis of a worldwide trading network. Amsterdam's merchants had the biggest share in the VOC and WIC . These companies acquired the overseas possessions which formed the seeds of the later Dutch colonies. Amsterdam was the most important point for the trans-shipment of goods in Europe and it was the leading financial centre of the world. Amsterdam's stock exchange was the first to trade continuously. The population grew from slightly over 10,000 around 1500 to 30,000 around 1570, 60,000 around 1600, 105,000 in 1622 and almost 200,000 around 1700 (a twenty fold increase in 200 years). Thereafter, the population did not change much for another century and a half. During the century before World War II it almost quadrupled to 800,000, but then remained fairly constant again to this day. ]]The 18th and early 19th centuries saw a decline in Amsterdam's prosperity. The wars of the Dutch Republic with the United Kingdom and France took their toll on Amsterdam. During the Napoleonic Wars Amsterdam's fortunes reached their lowest point. However, with the establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815 , things slowly began to improve. In Amsterdam new developments were started by people like Sarphati who found their inspiration in Paris. The end of the 19th century is sometimes called Amsterdam's second Golden Age. New museums, a train station, and the Concertgebouw were built. At this time the (1906). Shortly before the First World War the city began expanding and new suburbs were built. During World War I , the Netherlands remained neutral. Amsterdam suffered a food shortage and heating fuel became scarce. The shortages sparked riots in which several people were killed. Germany invaded the Netherlands in 10 May 1940 , taking control of the country after five days of fighting. The Germans installed a Nazi civilian government in Amsterdam that cooperated in the persecution of Jews. However, a minority of people in Amsterdam helped the Jews in hiding and suffered persecution themselves in doing so. More than 80,000 Jew s were deported to concentration camps, of whom perhaps the most famous was a young German girl, Anne Frank . Only 5,000 Jews survived the war. In the last months of the war communication with the rest of the country broke down and food and fuel became scarce. Many inhabitants of the city had to travel to the countryside to collect food. Most of the trees in Amsterdam were cut down for fuel. COAT OF ARMS The coat of arms of Amsterdam is composed of three in 1947 in recognition of the city's bravery during World War II. The lions were added in the sixteenth century. The Imperial Crown Of Austria was awarded to the city in 1489 by Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor , out of gratitude for services and loans. The crown was a sign of imperial protection and acted as a seal of approval for Amsterdam merchants abroad. The Westertoren also features the imperial crown. CITY GOVERNMENT See Also: Amsterdam (municipality) As all Dutch municipalities, Amsterdam is governed by a Mayor , his Aldermen , and the Municipal Council . However, unlike most other Dutch municipalities, Amsterdam is subdivided into fifteen ''stadsdelen'' (boroughs), a system that was implemented in the 1980s to improve local governance. The ''stadsdelen'' are responsible for many activities that previously had been run by the central city. Fourteen of these have their own council, chosen by a popular election. The fifteenth, Westerpoort, covers the harbour of Amsterdam, has very few inhabitants, and is governed by the central municipal council. Local decisions are made at borough level, and only affairs pertaining to the whole city, such as major infrastructure projects, are handled by the central city council. ''See also:'' List Of Mayors Of Amsterdam WEATHER Amsterdam enjoys a moderate temperate climate, with the weather patterns being strongly influenced by Amsterdam's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the prevailing westerly winds. Winters are mild and average above freezing, although frosts are not uncommon during periods of easterly or northeasterly winds that blow from the interior of the continent. Summers are comfortably warm but seldom hot. However, although days with measureable precipitation are common, Amsterdam does not have an overly wet climate and averages less than 760 mm (30 inches) of precipitation annually. The amount of precipitation seems heavier than it actually is, as much of it falls as protracted drizzle or light rain. Cloudy and damp days are common, particularly in the cooler months. DEMOGRAPHY
|
|
|