The capital of the Netherlands – Amsterdam – is an important commercial and financial center of Europe. This small, cosmopolitan city that combines a rich cultural and historical heritage with the dynamic development, attracts millions of tourists from around the world. Amsterdam became one of the most visited cities in Europe. What creates a unique atmosphere of this city? The answer you will find in our material – Amsterdam in figures and photographs.
1. Each year, Amsterdam – a city that was built in the XIII century and got its name from the Amstel River – attracts over 4.5 million visitors from around the world.
2. Holland – this is one of the richest countries of the continent, whose main source of income is tourism. This is not surprising, because only in the capital every year comes more than four million tourists charmed culture, architecture and, above all, the atmosphere of this unique city. Amsterdam can be unvarnished called the most tolerant city in the world. Back in the XV-XVI century the city graciously took coming here Protestants, Catholics and Jews. And here today resolved soft drugs and the porn industry, and homosexuality is not taboo. Liberal morality and economics were his best advertisement for the whole world.
3. Everyone knows that the Netherlands – a country of tulips. It is estimated that each year in the parks and gardens of Amsterdam planted about 600,000 tulips.
4. The first tulip “arrived” in the Netherlands in the XVI century from Turkey. A real “tyulpanomaniya” started in the country after the gardener Johan van Hoogheland found a way to create new varieties of tulips in many colors. An incredible amount of tulips in all colors of the rainbow can be seen at the flower market in Amsterdam. In the photo: National Day of tulips.
5. Amsterdam – a city of cyclists. Within the city of more than 40 percent of the population travels by bicycle, the number of which the city had 881,000 units, despite the fact that the population of the city is 810,084 inhabitants.
6. Each year in Amsterdam mysteriously disappears 100,000 bicycles and 25 thousand somehow appears in the channels. Looking at this photo, everything becomes clear.
7. In Amsterdam canals more than in Venice – the whole city is situated on 165 90 natural and artificial islands, which are connected by a huge number of bridges (about bridges, read on). A wooden piles on which stands Amsterdam, there are about 11 million.
8. In Amsterdam a very popular barges, which in most cases are used as dwellings. Sometime in the postwar years in barges lived poor who could not afford to buy a normal home. Now houseboat – a fashion only in the channels of Amsterdam is more than 2,500 barges. And almost all of them are equipped with modern facilities, as well as have access to electricity and gas.
9. In Amsterdam, there are 1515 cafes and bars. Being in Amsterdam, be sure to visit one of the many «Bruin café», who also became a symbol of the city. “Brown cafe” so called because of the precipitate that formed there on the walls and ceilings of smoke.
10. At the beginning of its activities, “Brown Cafe” was a place where you can drink a glass of white free «Genever». This is a typical Amsterdam alcohol, which is similar to gin, but differs in a much stronger flavor, as it is added in addition to juniper various herbs such as cumin and coriander. It can be mixed with beer and then obtain the following drinks: kopstoot – translates as something like a blow to the head, kabouter pils – translated beer dwarfs or lampie licht – translated lantern. What exactly these names indicate, I do not know exactly, but I think that it is about what the effects of the adoption of this drink is.
11. In Amsterdam, there are about 200 coffee shop, which allowed the use of a dozen different light drugs.
12. For all the opponents say the drug at once, that according to statistics, in the Netherlands the number of drug addicts is far less than in any other country with a less liberal laws in relation to the use of soft drugs. As you know, forbidden fruit is sweet, so exactly where such drugs are banned their use increases significantly. Interesting fact, Amsterdam – the only place on Earth where the Fair marijuana. In the photo: Amsterdam coffee & joint.
13. Amsterdam – it is also a city of diamonds. Once it was the capital treatment of these gems, but lost the title after WWII Antwerp. In the photo: Gassan diamonds in Amsterdam.
14. In Amsterdam, there are 24 workshops diamond processing, which offer visitors a free presentation processing of precious stones, the opportunity to try and buy a ready-made diamond jewelry. An example of such a presentation, you can see on the photo.
15. 206 paintings by Vincent van Gogh – one of the greatest artists in the history of the world – can be seen in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
16. In the Van Gogh Museum are stored not only his paintings, but also more than 500 drawings and 850 letters written by famous artists. Did you know that the master was engaged in painting only 9 years old? In the photo: Museum Van Gogh.
17. Amsterdam, which is located on 90 islands, there are 1,539 bridges and viaducts, each of which has its own number. The first bridge in the city, of course, were of wood. Bridge number one is Muntplein. A thousandth bridge was built in 1973. In the photo: Bridge Magere.
18. Blauwbrug – or blue bridge – the historic bridge over the Amstel River, which has the number 236. From about 1600 he joins the Rembrandt Square, with an area of Waterloo. Its name derives from the blue – one of the colors of the Dutch flag, which was painted.
