Amsterdam

Immigration[]

In the 16th and 17th century non-Dutch immigrants to Amsterdam were mostly , , and . Huguenots came after the in 1685, while the Flemish Protestants came during the . The Westphalians came to Amsterdam mostly for economic reasons – their influx continued through the 18th and 19th centuries. Before the Second World War, 10% of the city population was . Just twenty per cent of them survived the .[93]

The first mass immigration in the 20th century were by people from Indonesia, who came to Amsterdam after the independence of the in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1960s from Turkey, Morocco, Italy and Spain emigrated to Amsterdam. After the independence of Suriname in 1975, a large wave of Surinamese settled in Amsterdam, mostly in the area. Other immigrants, including refugees and , came from Europe, , Asia, and Africa. In the 1970s and 1980s, many 'old' Amsterdammers moved to 'new' cities like and , prompted by the third bill of the Dutch government. This bill promoted suburbanisation and arranged for new developments in so-called "groeikernen", literally cores of growth. Young professionals and artists moved into neighbourhoods de Pijp and the abandoned by these Amsterdammers. The non-Western immigrants settled mostly in the projects in Amsterdam-West and the Bijlmer. Today, people of non-Western origin make up approximately one-third of the population of Amsterdam, and more than 50% of the city'
s children. by the Dutch census) now make up a minority of the total population, although by far the largest one. Only one in three inhabitants under 15 is an autochtoon, or a person who has two parents of Dutch origin., concentrating in specific neighbourhoods especially in , , and in certain areas of .

In 2000, Christians formed the largest in the city (17% of the population). The next largest religion was Islam (14%), most of whose followers were .

Religion[]

In 1578, the largely Roman Catholic city of Amsterdam joined the revolt against Spanish rule, Roman Catholic priests were driven out of the city. was declared the main religion, was prohibited.[ ] This led to the establishment of schuilkerken, covert religious buildings that were hidden in pre-existing buildings. Catholics, some Jewish and dissenting Protestants worshiped in such buildings. from Spain and Portugal, from France,, , and Protestants from across the Netherlands.] In 1603, the Jewish received permission to practice their religion. In 1639, the first synagogue was consecrated..[112]

As they became established in the city, other used converted Catholic chapels to conduct their own services. The oldest English-language church congregation in the world outside the United Kingdom is found at the .[] Regular services there are still offered in English under the auspices of the ., though often retaining their own congregations. Some, commonly referred by the moniker 'Walloon', are recognisable today as they offer occasional services in French.[]

In the second half of the 17th century, Amsterdam experienced an influx of , Jews from . Jews often fled the in those areas. The first Ashkenazi who arrived in Amsterdam were from the in eastern Poland and the . They not only founded their own synagogues, but had a strong influence on the 'Amsterdam dialect' adding a large local vocabulary.[114]

Despite an absence of an official Jewish , most Jews preferred to live in the eastern part of the old medieval heart of the city. The main street of this Jewish neighbourhood was the Jodenbreestraat. The neighbourhood comprised the Waterlooplein and the . Buildings in this neighbourhood fell into disrepair after the Second World War,

Catholic churches in Amsterdam have been constructed since the restoration of the episcopal hierarchy in 1853., was also responsible for the Amsterdam Central station and the .

In 1924, the of the Netherlands hosted the in Amsterdam, visited the city, where festivities were held in churches and stadiums. Only in the 20th century was Amsterdam's relation to Catholicism normalised,, the episcopal see of the city was placed in the provincial town of .[127]

In recent times, religious demographics in Amsterdam have been changed by immigration from former colonies. has been introduced from the Hindu diaspora from Suriname Islam is now the largest non-Christian religion in Amsterdam. often in parking garages in the area.[131]

Diversity and immigration[]

Amsterdam experienced an influx of religions and cultures after the Second World War. With 180 different nationalities, The proportion of the population of immigrant origin in the city proper is about 50%

Amsterdam has been one of the municipalities in the Netherlands which provided immigrants with extensive and free courses, which have benefited many immigrants.[136]

Amsterdam fans out south from the and , the main street off the station. The oldest area of the town is known as (English: "The Quays"). It lies to the east of Damrak and contains the city's famous red light district. To the south of De Wallen is the old Jewish quarter of Waterlooplein.

The medieval and colonial age , known as grachten, embraces the heart of the city where homes have interesting gables. Beyond the Grachtengordel are the former working class areas of and de Pijp. The with the city's major museums, the , a 19th-century park named after the Dutch writer , and the neighbourhood, with the , are also located outside the Grachtengordel.

Several parts of the city and the surrounding urban area are . This can be recognised by the suffix -meer which means lake, as in , , , and .

Canals[]

The Amsterdam canal system is the result of conscious . bay. Known as the , three of the canals were mostly for residential development: the Herengracht (where "Heren" refers to Heren Regeerders van de stad Amsterdam (ruling lords of Amsterdam), and means canal, so the name can be roughly translated as "Canal of the Lords"), Keizersgracht (Emperor's Canal), and Prinsengracht (Prince's Canal)., which is often not mentioned on maps, because it is a collective name for all canals in the outer ring. The Singelgracht should not be confused with the oldest and innermost canal, the .

The canals served for defence, and transport. The defences took the form of a moat and , with gates at transit points, but otherwise no masonry .

Construction started in 1613 and proceeded from west to east, across the breadth of the layout, like a gigantic as the historian calls it – and not from the centre outwards, as a popular myth has it. The canal construction in the southern sector was completed by 1656. Subsequently, the construction of residential buildings proceeded slowly. The eastern part of the concentric canal plan, covering the area between the Amstel river and the IJ bay, has never been implemented. In the following centuries, the land was used for parks, senior citizens' homes, theatres, other public facilities, and waterways without much planning. and the .[142]

Expansion[]

After the development of Amsterdam's canals in the 17th century, the city did not grow beyond its borders for two centuries. During the 19th century, devised a plan based on the grandeur of Paris and London at that time. The plan envisaged the construction of new houses, public buildings and streets just outside the . The main aim of the plan, however, was to improve public health. Although the plan did not expand the city, it did produce some of the largest public buildings to date, like the Paleis voor Volksvlijt.[145]

Following Sarphati, civil engineers Jacobus van Niftrik and Jan Kalff designed an entire ring of 19th-century neighbourhoods surrounding the city's centre, with the city preserving the ownership of all land outside the 17th-century limit, thus firmly controlling development.

In response to overcrowding, two plans were designed at the beginning of the 20th century which were very different from anything Amsterdam had ever seen before: Plan Zuid, designed by the architect , and West. These plans involved the development of new neighbourhoods consisting of housing blocks for all social classes.

After the Second World War, large new neighbourhoods were built in the western, southeastern, and northern parts of the city. These new neighbourhoods were built to relieve the city's shortage of living space and give people affordable houses with modern conveniences. The neighbourhoods consisted mainly of large housing blocks situated among green spaces, connected to wide roads, making the neighbourhoods easily accessible by . The western suburbs which were built in that period are collectively called the Westelijke Tuinsteden. The area to the southeast of the city built during the same period is known as the Bijlmer.

Architecture[]

Amsterdam has a rich . The oldest building in Amsterdam is the (English: Old Church), at the heart of the Wallen, consecrated in 1306. at the . It was constructed around 1425 and is one of only two existing wooden buildings. It is also one of the few examples of in Amsterdam. The oldest stone building of the Netherlands, The Moriaan is build in .

In the 16th century, wooden buildings were razed and replaced with brick ones. During this period, many buildings were constructed in the of the . Buildings of this period are very recognisable with their façades, which is the common Dutch Renaissance style. Amsterdam quickly developed its own . These buildings were built according to the principles of the architect .. In the 17th century became very popular, as it was elsewhere in Europe. This roughly coincided with Amsterdam's . The leading architects of this style in Amsterdam were , and .[155]

Philip Vingboons designed splendid merchants' houses throughout the city. A famous building in in Amsterdam is the on . Throughout the 18th century, Amsterdam was heavily influenced by . This is reflected in the architecture of that period. Around 1815, architects broke with the baroque style and started building in different neo-styles. style. At the end of the 19th century, the or style became popular and many new buildings were constructed in this architectural style. Since Amsterdam expanded rapidly during this period, new buildings adjacent to the city centre were also built in this style. The houses in the vicinity of the in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid are an example of Jugendstil. The last style that was popular in Amsterdam before the was . Amsterdam had its own version of the style, which was called the . Whole districts were built this style, such as the Rivierenbuurt.[157] A notable feature of the façades of buildings designed in Amsterdamse School is that they are highly decorated and ornate, with oddly shaped windows and doors.

The old city centre is the focal point of all the architectural styles before the end of the 19th century.
Jugendstil and Georgian are mostly found outside the city's centre in the neighbourhoods built in the early
20th century, although there are also some striking examples of these styles in the city centre.
Most historic buildings in the city centre and nearby are houses, such as the famous merchants' houses lining the canals.

Parks and recreational areas[]

Amsterdam has many parks, open spaces, and squares throughout the city. The , the largest park in the city, is located in the neighbourhood and is named after the 17th-century Amsterdam author . Yearly, the park has around 10 million visitors. In the park is an open-air theatre, a playground and several facilities. In the borough, is the Beatrixpark, named after . Between Amsterdam and is the ("Amsterdam Forest"), the largest recreational area in Amsterdam. Annually, almost 4.5 million people visit the park, which has a size of 1.000 hectares and is approximately three times the size of . in the borough houses the Rieker windmill, which dates to 1636. Other parks include the in the neighbourhood, the in the borough and the in the neighbourhood. The city has three beaches: Nemo Beach, Citybeach "Het stenen hoofd" (Silodam) and Blijburg, all located in the Centrum borough.

The city has many open squares (plein in Dutch). The namesake of the city as the site of the original dam, , is the main city square and has the and . hosts various museums, including the , , and . Other squares include , , , , , and . Also, near to Amsterdam is the conservation project.

Amsterdam is the financial and business capital of the Netherlands.[159]
Amsterdam is ranked fifth best of European cities in which to locate an , surpassed by , , and ., , , , , , and . International's global headquarters is located in nearby Amstelveen, where many non-Dutch companies have settled as well, because surrounding communities allow full land ownership, contrary to Amsterdam's land-lease system.

Though many small offices are still located on the old canals, companies are increasingly relocating outside the city centre. The (English: South Axis) has become the new financial and legal hub. and , and the are also located in Zuidas.

There are three other smaller financial districts in Amsterdam. The first is the area surrounding , where several newspapers like have their offices.

Also, , the (municipal public transport company) and the Dutch tax offices (Belastingdienst) are located there. The second is the area surrounding the . The third is the area surrounding . The in Amsterdam, the , is situated there, as is the headquarters of .

Port of Amsterdam[]

The is the fourth largest port in Europe, the 38th largest port in the world and the second largest port in the Netherlands by metric tons of cargo. In 2014 the Port of Amsterdam had a cargo throughput of 97,4 million tons of cargo, which was mostly .
Amsterdam has the biggest cruise port in the Netherlands with more than 150 cruise ships every year.
In 2019 the new lock in IJmuiden will open; the port will then be able to grow to 125 million tonnes in capacity.

The (AEX), now part of , is the world's oldest stock exchange and is one of Europe's largest bourses. It is near in the city centre.

Together with () and (), Amsterdam (Airport) forms the foundation of the Dutch economy.[164]

Tourism[]