Introduction to Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands

①The capital of the Netherlands.

Amsterdam, the capital of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is located on the southwestern shore of Lake IJssel, with a population of 735,000 (2003).

The Amstel River flows through the city, making the city a crossroads for Europe's inland waterways.

Amsterdam is a strange city.

There are more than 160 large and small waterways in the city, connected by more than 1,000 bridges.

Wandering around the city, there are bridges and canals crisscrossing the city.

Viewed from the air, the waves are like satin and resemble a spider web.

The city's terrain is 1-5 meters below sea level and is known as the "Venice of the North".

Due to the small amount of land and the large number of people, there are nearly 20,000 "houseboats" moored on the river.

In the past, almost all buildings in the city were based on wooden piles coated with black tar to prevent subsidence.

The foundation of the palace used 13,659 wooden piles.

"Dan" means dam in Dutch.

It was the dams built by the Dutch that gradually developed a fishing village 700 years ago into the international metropolis it is today.

At the end of the 16th century, Amsterdam had become an important port and trading city, and it once became the world's financial, trade, and cultural center in the 17th century.

In 1806, the Netherlands moved its capital to Amsterdam, but the royal family, parliament, prime minister's office, central ministries and diplomatic missions remained in The Hague.

Amsterdam is the largest industrial city and economic center in the Netherlands, with more than 7,700 industrial enterprises, and its industrial diamond production accounts for 80% of the world's total.

In addition, Amsterdam is home to the oldest stock exchange in the world.

Amsterdam is the second largest port in the Netherlands.

The port is fully modernized.

Transportation within and outside Hong Kong is very developed.

Flowers are an important export commodity from the Netherlands.

The Asmer Flower Market, located in the southwest suburbs of Amsterdam, is the largest flower market in the world, with flowers sold to more than 100 countries.

Amsterdam’s people live on the water, and the water flows into the city. People and water are dependent on each other, and the scenery is created by nature.

The unique landscape makes Amsterdam's tourism industry very developed.

Amsterdam is also a famous city of European culture and art.

There are 40 museums in the city.

The National Museum has a collection of more than 1 million pieces of various artworks, including masterpieces by world-famous masters such as Rembrandt, Hals and Vermeer.

The Municipal Museum of Modern Art and the Van Gogh Museum are famous for their collection of 17th-century Dutch art. "Wheatfield with Crows" and "The Potato Eating Farmer" that Van Gogh completed two days before his death are displayed here. .

In 1994, Amsterdam and Beijing became sister cities.

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. The original appearance of the golden age has been preserved, and it is almost a living museum.

Beautiful canals interweave the scenery of the "Water City", and the numerous museums include the works of all famous Dutch painters.

Performances at the National Concert Hall, the palace of classical music, are not to be missed.

Amsterdam looks old and very flavorful.

All three- and four-story small buildings are carefully decorated in blue, green and red, and are so cute that they look fake.

The doors of these toy-like buildings are so narrow that they can only accommodate one person.

In ancient times, there was a strange law here. The bigger the door, the more taxes you had to pay. Helpless people had to make the door as small as possible, but made the windows as big as possible, and hung furniture and other things from the windows. Shipping in and out.

On the top of all small buildings, there are several iron hooks extending out to fix the ropes used for lifting items.

Dense waterways separate these lovely streets one by one. Flocks of seagulls fly in the waterways and buildings, bullying the ducks foraging in the water, just like Venice in the north. .

Main attractions

National Concert Hall (Concertgebouw, Concertgebouwplein 2-6): The National Concert Hall is the base of the Amsterdam National Concert Hall Orchestra. The performance season is from September to June of the following year. moon.

Tickets can be purchased at the Tourist Office in Leidseplein, the Amsterdam Tourist Office or the orchestra's office.

Muziek Theater (Amstel 3): The Musical Theater is home to the Dutch National Opera and the National Ballet.

It is a modern amphitheater located *** adjacent to the city of Amsterdam.

Holland Casino (Max Euweplein): Passport required, no cheating allowed.

The business hours are 13:30-3:00 every day, and the ticket is NT$5.

LIDO (Max Euwiplein): LIDO is a model of the Lido Dinner Show in Paris.

Royal Palace (Koninklijk Paoeis, Dam): It was built as the Royal Palace of Amsterdam in 1655 and is now the Royal Guest House.

Westerkerk/toren (Prinsengracht 281): Admission to the church is free.

To visit the tower, you must join a guided tour every hour.

The tower is 85 meters high and you need to walk upstairs.

The panoramic view of Amsterdam from the tower is worth seeing.

Heineken Brouwerij, Stadtouderkade 78): The Heineken Beer Museum was a beer production factory before 1988.

The guided tour takes about one and a half hours.

It is optional to drink beer after the visit, which is a popular itinerary.

Coaster Diamond Factory: Coaster Diamond Factory is the most famous diamond factory in the world. The diamonds in Queen Victoria’s crown were cut and polished here. This alone is enough to excite all women. No more.

Van Gogh Museum (Rijk *** useum Vincent van Glgh P. Potterstraat 7): The Van Gogh Museum is located near the Coaster Diamond Factory.

Tickets for the Van Gogh Museum are more expensive, but they are worth it. It houses many of Van Gogh's masterpieces, such as "Sunflowers", "Poppies", self-portraits with and without ears. , as well as four oil paintings made in the last year of his life; but not all of them, the incomparable "Starry Night" is not here.

There are many other paintings on display in the museum, all of which are representative works of the historical "Dutch School".

These oil paintings, like Van Gogh's early works, are dark and obscure, as if they have lost all color.

Remembering that the sky in the Netherlands is always cloudy, it is no wonder that these oil paintings are so dark.

Later generations once inferred that Van Gogh painted his later works after taking a hallucinogenic drug. Now that I think about it, this inference is reasonable.

It’s really incredible that I can paint such bright colors under the gloomy clouds in the Netherlands.

In addition, some famous tourist attractions in Amsterdam include: Amstelkring Museum (O.Z. Vooburgwal 40), Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum (Kattenburgerplein), Anne Frank House (Nmme Frankguis Prinsengracht263), Amsterdam Historisch Museum (Kalverstraat 92), Stedelijk Museum of Modren Art (P.Potterstraat 13), etc.

②An industrial city in New York State, USA.

Located on the Mohawk River, near the Erie Canal.

Population 21,000.

Most of the earliest residents came from the Netherlands, so it was named after the Dutch city of Amsterdam.

After the Erie Canal was dug in 1825, it developed rapidly.

The town was established in 1831.

The city was established in 1855.

The industry is mainly light industry.

There are large-scale carpet and blanket factories that also produce gloves, shirts, buttons, cartons and other products.

The historic building Guy Parker Manor (1766) is now used as an exhibition hall to preserve Indian and colonial artifacts.