Amsterdam

=Amsterdam=

The city of Amsterdam is the capitol of the Netherlands and the largest city in the Netherlands. It is located in the North Holland province that is in the west of the country. There are approximately 2.4 million people in the city region. Its name comes from the word “Amsterelredamme” which was the name it was called when the city first formed because of the dam on the river Amstel. It began in the late 12th century because it was such a perfect place for the fishing village and lots of trade came to the area because of the ports accessibility. During the Dutch Golden Age in the 16th century, it was one of the most prosperous ports in trade history. It became the city to go to if you needed to deal in finance or diamonds. The East India Trading Company (made well known by all of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies) was one of the first companies to place shares of its company in the forms of stocks on an exchange that began in Amsterdam. Because of them, Amsterdam has the oldest stock exchange in the world.

Not only is the city one of the top financial cities in Europe, it is the cultural capital of the Netherlands. They have the distinction of having 7 of the top 500 companies in the world that make Amsterdam their homes. This includes companies like Philips and ING. The city also won second best city to live in in 2012 from Economist Intelligence Unit. Adding to the cities rich history and savvy business smarts, it has had its fair share of famous residents, the most known being Anne Frank. She was a German Jewish girl that had moved to Amsterdam with her family in 1942 and was hidden from the Nazi’s during WWII. Unfortunately, her family betrayed and Anne was sent to the extermination camp Bergen-Belsen in 1944 and dying there 1945. The diary she wrote while she was hiding is known throughout the world as is the courage of the Danish woman who tried to protect her and her family. Also, well known artists like Rembrandt van Rijn, as well as Vincent van Gogh, lived there. The Philosopher Baruch Spinoza brought enlightenment and biblical criticism to 17th century Denmark resided there.

Not only is the city of Amsterdam rich with history, architecture and art but the beautifully painted homes make it one of the best cities to walk or bike through. Additionally, many of the famous residents from Amsterdam have tourist attractions centered around them, including the house where Anne Frank and her family hid for almost 2 years. Several places to visit are: The Rijksmuseum (The National Museum of the Netherlands), the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, The Joods Historisch Museum (Jewish Historical Museum), Oude Kerk (Amsterdam’s most interesting church), The Hermitage Amsterdam, the red light district, historic canals, the world’s only floating flower market, outdoor cafes, several local markets and coffee shops. This is one area that we will have to plan wisely in order to see everything.