Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, receiving more than 4.63 million international visitors annually, this is excluding the 16 million day-trippers visiting the city every year. Certain years have a theme in Amsterdam to attract extra tourists. For example, the year 2006 was designated "Rembrandt 400", to celebrate the 400th birthday of . Some hotels offer special arrangements or activities during these years. The average number of guests per year staying at the four campsites around the city range from 12,000 to 65,000.[167]

De Wallen (Red-light district)[]

De Wallen, also known as Walletjes or Rosse Buurt, is a designated area for and is Amsterdam's largest and most well known . This neighbourhood has become a famous attraction for tourists. It consists of a network of roads and alleys containing several hundred small, one-room apartments rented by who offer their services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights.

Retail[]

Shops in Amsterdam range from large high end department stores such as founded in 1870 to small specialty shops. Amsterdam's high-end shops are found in the streets and Cornelis Schuytstraat, which are located in the vicinity of the . One of Amsterdam's busiest high streets is the narrow, medieval in the heart of the city. Other shopping areas include the Negen Straatjes and Haarlemmerdijk and Haarlemmerstraat. Negen Straatjes are nine narrow streets within the Grachtengordel, the concentric canal system of Amsterdam. The Negen Straatjes differ from other shopping districts with the presence of a large diversity of privately owned shops. The Haarlemmerstraat and Haarlemmerdijk were voted best shopping street in the Netherlands in 2011. These streets have as the Negen Straatjes a large diversity of privately owned shops. But as the Negen Straatjes are dominated by fashion stores the Haarlemmerstraat and Haarlemmerdijk offer a very wide variety of all kinds of stores, just to name some specialties: candy and other food related stores, lingerie, sneakers, wedding clothing, interior shops, books, Italian deli's, racing and mountain bikes, skatewear, etc.

The city also features a large number of open-air markets such as the , Westerstraat-markt, Ten Katemarkt, and . Some of these markets are held on a daily basis, like the Albert Cuypmarkt and the Dappermarkt. Others, like the Westerstraatmarkt, are held on a weekly basis.

Fashion[]

Several fashion brands and designers are based in Amsterdam. Brands include ,,,, , and . , Touche models and Tony Jones have opened branches in Amsterdam. Fashion models like , and Kim Noorda started their careers in Amsterdam. Amsterdam has its garment centre in the World Fashion Center. Buildings which formerly housed brothels in the red light district have been converted to ateliers for young fashion designers, AKA eagle fuel.[] Fashion photographers were born in Amsterdam.[173]

During the later part of the 16th-century, Amsterdam's Rederijkerskamer () organised contests between different Chambers in the reading of poetry and drama. In 1637, , the first theatre in Amsterdam was built, opening on 3 January 1638.] the Hollandse Opera of Amsterdam was built in 1888 for the specific purpose of promoting Dutch opera. and ).[] An improved was invented in 1812 by . (1885) and (1895) were built and opened. In 1888, the orchestra was established.] Though most studios are located in and , Amsterdam's influence on programming is very strong. Many people who work in the television industry live in Amsterdam. Also, the headquarters of the Dutch is located in Amsterdam.[184]

Museums[]

The most important museums of Amsterdam are located on the (Museum Square), located at the southwestern side of the Rijksmuseum. It was created in the last quarter of the 19th century on the grounds of the former . The northeastern part of the square is bordered by the very large Rijksmuseum. In front of the Rijksmuseum on the square itself is a long, rectangular pond. This is transformed into an ice rink in winter. can be found underneath the square, as well as a supermarket. The Museumplein is covered almost entirely with a lawn, except for the northeastern part of the square which is covered with gravel. The current appearance of the square was realised in 1999, when the square was remodelled. The square itself is the most prominent site in Amsterdam for festivals and outdoor concerts, especially in the summer. Plans were made in 2008 to remodel the square again, because many inhabitants of Amsterdam are not happy with its current appearance.[186]

The possesses the largest and most important collection of classical .[187]
It opened in 1885. Its collection consists of nearly one million objects., whose work, and the work of his pupils, is displayed in the Rijksmuseum. Rembrandt's masterpiece is one of top pieces of art of the museum. It also houses paintings from artists like , , , , , and . Aside from paintings, the collection consists of a large variety of . This ranges from to giant doll-houses from the 17th century. The architect of the building was P.J.H. Cuypers. The museum underwent a 10-year, 375 million euro renovation starting in 2003. The full collection was reopened to the public on 13 April 2013 and the Rijksmuseum has remained the most visited museum in Amsterdam with 2.2 million visitors in 2016 and 2.16 million in 2017.[189]

Van Gogh lived in Amsterdam for a short while and there is a . The museum is housed in one of the few modern buildings in this area of Amsterdam. The building was designed by . This building is where the permanent collection is displayed. A new building was added to the museum in 1999. This building, known as the performance wing, was designed by Japanese architect . Its purpose is to house temporary exhibitions of the museum. Some of Van Gogh's most famous paintings, like and , are in the collection. for example.

Next to the Van Gogh museum stands the . This is Amsterdam's most important museum of modern art. The museum is as old as the square it borders and was opened in 1895. The permanent collection consists of works of art from artists like , , and . After renovations lasting several years the museum opened in September 2012 with a new composite extension that has been called 'The Bathtub' due to its resemblance to one.

Amsterdam contains many other museums throughout the city. They range from small museums such as the (Resistance Museum), the , and the , to the very large, like the (Museum of the Tropics), (formerly known as Amsterdam Historical Museum), (a dependency of the in Saint Petersburg) and the (Jewish Historical Museum). The modern-styled is dedicated to child-friendly science exhibitions.

Music[]

Amsterdam's musical culture includes a large collection of songs which treat the city nostalgically and lovingly. The 1949 song "Aan de Amsterdamse grachten" ("On the canals of Amsterdam") was performed and recorded by many artists, including ; the best-known version is probably that by (1962). In the 1950s rose to fame with "" ("I prefer Amsterdam"), which praises the city above all others (explicitly Paris); Jordaan sang especially about his own neighbourhood, the ("Bij ons in de Jordaan"). Colleagues and contemporaries of Johnny include and . Another notable Amsterdam song is "" by (1964). that Trio Bier's "Oude Wolf" was voted "Amsterdams lijflied". and .

(formerly known as the Heineken Music Hall) is a concert hall located near the (known as the Amsterdam Arena until 2018). Its main purpose is to serve as a podium for pop concerts for big audiences. Many famous international artists have performed there. Two other notable venues, and the are located near the . Both focus on broad programming, ranging from to , , and other popular genres. Other more subcultural music venues are , , De Nieuwe Anita, Winston Kingdom and Zaal 100. has a strong following in Amsterdam, with the being the premier venue. In 2012, was opened, also near Amsterdam Arena, a state-of-the-art indoor music arena.

is also host to many festivals, alongside many other venues. and , some of the world's leading DJ's hail from the Netherlands and perform frequently in Amsterdam. Each year in October, the city hosts the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) which is one of the leading electronic music conferences and one of the biggest club festivals for electronic music in the world, attracting over 350,000 visitors each year. and . In summer time there are several big outdoor dance parties in or nearby Amsterdam, such as Awakenings, , , Loveland, A Day at the Park, Welcome to the Future, and Valtifest.

Amsterdam has a world-class symphony orchestra, the . Their home is the , which is across the Van Baerlestraat from the Museum Square. It is considered by critics to be a with some of the best in the world. The building contains three halls, Grote Zaal, Kleine Zaal, and Spiegelzaal. Some nine hundred concerts and other events per year take place in the Concertgebouw, for a public of over 700,000, making it one of the most-visited concert halls in the world., (a word originally coined by protesters against it very construction: Stop the Opera[-house]). This huge modern complex, opened in 1986, lies in the former Jewish neighbourhood at Waterlooplein next to the river . The Stopera is the homebase of , and the . is a concert hall, which is situated in the near the central station. Its concerts perform mostly . Located adjacent to it, is the , a concert hall for improvised and music.

Performing arts[]

Amsterdam has three main theatre buildings.

The at the is the home base of . The current building dates from 1894. Most plays are performed in the Grote Zaal (Great Hall). The normal programme of events encompasses all sorts of theatrical forms. The Stadsschouwburg is currently being renovated and expanded. The third theatre space, to be operated jointly with next door , will open in late 2009 or early 2010.

The (formerly known as Het Muziektheater), dating from 1986, is the principal opera house and home to and . was built as a permanent circus theatre in 1887 and is currently mainly used for musicals, performances and pop concerts.

The recently re-opened DeLaMar Theater houses the more commercial plays and musicals. A new theatre has also moved into Amsterdam scene in 2014, joining other established venues: Theater Amsterdam is situated in the west part of Amsterdam, on the Danzigerkade. It is housed in a modern building with a panoramic view over the harbour. The theatre is the first ever purpose-built venue to showcase a single play entitled ANNE, the play based on Anne Frank's life.

On the east side of town, there is a small theatre in a converted bath house, the . The theatre often has English programming.

The Netherlands has a tradition of cabaret or kleinkunst, which combines music, storytelling, commentary, theatre and comedy. Cabaret dates back to the 1930s and artists like , and were pioneers of this form of art in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam is the Kleinkunstacademie (English: Cabaret Academy). Contemporary popular artists are , , , , , , , , , and . The English spoken comedy scene was established with the founding of in 1993. They have their own theatre at Leidseplein.

Nightlife[]

Amsterdam is famous for its vibrant and diverse nightlife. Amsterdam has many (bars). They range from large and modern to small and cozy. The typical Bruine Kroeg (brown café) breathe a more old fashioned atmosphere with dimmed lights, candles, and somewhat older clientele. These brown cafés mostly offer a wide range of local and international artesanal beers. Most cafés have terraces in summertime. A common sight on the Leidseplein during summer is a square full of terraces packed with people drinking beer or wine. Many restaurants can be found in Amsterdam as well. Since Amsterdam is a multicultural city, a lot of different ethnic restaurants can be found. Restaurants range from being rather luxurious and expensive to being ordinary and affordable. Amsterdam also possesses many . The two main nightlife areas for tourists are the and the . The , and Sugar Factory are cultural centres, which turn into discothèques on some nights. Examples of discothèques near the Rembrandtplein are the Escape, Air, John Doe and Club Abe. Also noteworthy are Panama, Hotel Arena (East), TrouwAmsterdam and Studio 80. In recent years '24-hour' clubs opened their doors, most notably Radion De School, Shelter and Marktkantine. located near the Central Station, with its rich programming hosting the best in the field is considered one of the best jazz clubs in the world. The Reguliersdwarsstraat is the main street for the community and nightlife.

Festivals[]

In 2008, there were 140 festivals and events in Amsterdam.[198]

Famous festivals and events in Amsterdam include: (which was named Koninginnedag until the crowning of King Willem-Alexander in 2013) (King's Day – Queen's Day); the for the performing arts; the yearly (classical concerto on the Prinsen canal) in August; the '' (a silent Roman Catholic evening procession held every March); ; The ; and the . On Koningsdag—that is held each year on 27 April—hundreds of thousands of people travel to Amsterdam to celebrate with the city's residents. The entire city becomes overcrowded with people buying products from the freemarket, or visiting one of the many music concerts.

The yearly Holland Festival attracts international artists and visitors from all over Europe. is a yearly local LGBT parade of boats in Amsterdam's canals, held on the first Saturday in August..[200]

Amsterdam is home of the football club . The stadium is the home of Ajax. It is located in the of the city next to the new . Before moving to their current location in 1996, Ajax played their regular matches in .[201]
In 1928, Amsterdam hosted the . The built for the occasion has been completely restored and is now used for cultural and sporting events, such as the . events for the held in neighbouring , Belgium by hosting events at .

The city holds the , a 16-kilometre (10 mi) race from Amsterdam to , as well as the . The ice hockey team play in the ice rink. The team competes in the Dutch ice hockey premier league. championships have been held on the 400-metre lane of this ice rink.

Amsterdam holds two franchises: the and the Amsterdam Panthers. The baseball team competes in the . There are three teams: Amsterdam, Pinoké and Hurley, who play their matches around the in the nearby city of . The basketball team competes in the Dutch premier division and play their games in the Sporthallen Zuid.[203]

There is one rugby club in Amsterdam, which also hosts sports training classes such as RTC (Rugby Talenten Centrum or Rugby Talent Centre) and the National Rugby stadium.

Since 1999, the city of Amsterdam honours the best sportsmen and women at the . Boxer and field hockey midfielder were the first to receive the awards, in 1999.

Amsterdam hosted the in 1991 and will do so again in 2023.[204]

The city of Amsterdam is a under the Dutch Municipalities Act. It is governed by a directly elected , a and a . Since 1981, the of Amsterdam has gradually been divided into semi-autonomous , called stadsdelen or 'districts'. Over time, a total of 15 boroughs were created. In May 2010, under a major reform, the number of was reduced to eight: covering the city centre including the , consisting of the neighbourhoods north of the , in the east, in the south, in the west, in the far west, in the southeast, and covering the area.[205]