Amsterdam

Amsterdam is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world and is a centre of bicycle culture. Most main streets have bike paths. Bike racks are ubiquitous throughout the city. There are about 700,000 bicycles in the city. Each year, about 80,000 of them are stolen and 25,000 end up in the canals

Amsterdam has a rich architectural history. The oldest building in Amsterdam is the Oude Kerk (Old Church), at the heart of the Wallen, consecrated in 1306. The oldest wooden building is het Houten Huys at the Begijnhof. It was constructed around 1425 and is one of only two existing wooden buildings. It is also one of the few rare examples of gothic architecture in Amsterdam.

In the sixteenth century, wooden buildings were broken down and replaced by brick ones. During this period, many buildings were constructed according to the architectural style of the Renaissance. Buildings from this period are very recognizable, since they have a façade which ends at the top in the shape of a stairway. This is, however, the common Dutch Renaissance style. Amsterdam quickly developed its own Renaissance architecture. These buildings were built according to the principles of the architect Hendrick de Keyser. One of the most striking buildings designed by Hendrick de Keyer is the Westerkerk. In the seventeenth century baroque architecture became very popular, as it did elsewhere in Europe. This was roughly during the same period as Amsterdam’s Golden Age. The leading architects of this style in Amsterdam were Jacob van Campen, as well as Philip Vingboons and Daniel Stalpaert

Oudekerk2

Oude Kerk (Old Church) - the oldest church in Amsterdam, is located in the center of the red lights.

It is built in the XIII century, dedicated in 1306 by the Bishop of Utrecht. The church was expanded to the mid-sixteenth century, when the final obtained his impressive appearance. In 1566 he received the octagonal bell tower, chimes in the year 1658, consisting of 47 bells, cast in the studio of Francois Hemony in 1724 added an excellent year, big bodies - 8 Miechów and 54 gold-plated pipes. After this day are considered the best in the whole of the Netherlands. The church occupies an area of 3,300 m².

For the year 1865 people buried in the church. There are 2,500 graves, where they buried the 10 000 inhabitants of Amsterdam, the number of the persons who zasłynęły in the history of the Netherlands naval hero Jacob van Heemskerck, Cornelis de Graeff - Mayor governing integral in Amsterdam, Kiliaen van Rensselaer, one of the founders of New Amsterdam in Manhattan, now known as New York. Also, his final resting place was a multi-organist of this church (1577 to 1621 or 1580 years) and a famous composer Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck.
Tower

Before switching to Protestantism, which happened in the year 1578, Oude Kerk was the Catholic church. In the church are still visible traces of the old decorations.

In the same year, the Oude Kerk began to act as the office matrymonialnego. Was also used to store municipal archives.

Rembrandt often attended the Oude Kerk, and his children were baptized here. This is the only building in Amsterdam, which has retained its original appearance from the time of Rembrandt. Rembrandt's wife Saskia van Uylenburg was buried here in 1642.

Besides all the more comfortable hotels with standard "star" ratings, Amsterdam also features quite a few more affordable campsites and youth hostels.

Amsterdam youth hostels are the cheapest kind of accommodation you can find in the city centre, but although they can often dissapoint those who need privacy and quiet. Especially when you're coming with a partner and need a cheap room just for yourself and this with a private bathroom, consider well to book some of the 1-star hotels or 2-star hotels.

Youth hostels in Amsterdam indeed offer housing where a number of persons share the same room (or a dorm). The bathrooms are shared too and usually on the each floor. Taking your own towels and sleeping bag may be useful, as some hostels charge an extra fee for the sheets.

Most of the hostels also feature a common eating room, lockers, some board and card games and internet access. Youth hostels are therefore a good option for students on a limited budget, and also a very good place to meet the fellow travellers. If you are travelling with a partner, note some of the cheap hostels (Christian hostels "Shelter") feature only single-sex dorms.

Hostels in Amsterdam are quite busy throughout the year, particularly on weekend and during major events. We recommend making a reservation in advance. On this page are given direct telephone and fax numbers for your convenience, though some hostels prefer bookings to be placed online via a secure server at HostelBookers or HostelWorld.

Amsterdam fans out south from the Amsterdam Centraal railway station. The Damrak is the main street and leads into the street Rokin. The oldest area of the town is known as de Wallen (the quays, this does not refer to the old city walls, the Dutch word for wall being 'muur'). 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 17th century girdle of concentric canals, known as the Grachtengordel, embraces the heart of the city. Beyond the Grachtengordel are the formerly working class areas of Jordaan and de Pijp. The Museumplein with the city's major museums, the Vondelpark, a 19th century park named after the Dutch writer Joost van den Vondel, and the Plantage neighborhood, with the zoo, are also located outside the Grachtengordel.

Red-light-amsterdam

Being part of the province North-Holland, Amsterdam is located in the northwest of the Netherlands next to the provinces Utrecht and Flevoland. The river Amstel terminates in the city center into a large number of canals that eventually terminate in the IJ. Amsterdam is situated 2 meters above sea level. The surrounding land is flat as it is formed of large polders. To the southwest of the city lies a man-made forest called het Amsterdamse Bos. Amsterdam is connected to the North Sea through the long North Sea Canal.

Amsterdam is intensely urbanized, as is the urban area surrounding the city. Comprising 219.4 square kilometers of land, the city proper has a population density of 4457 inhabitants and 2275 houses per square kilometer.Amsterdam consist for 12% out of parks and nature reserves. The concentrations of both carbon dioxide and small particles were above the limits the European Union directives.

Amsterdam enjoys a temperate climate, strongly influenced by its proximity to the North Sea to the west with prevailing north-western winds and gales. Winter temperatures are mild, seldom below 0°C. Frosts merely occur during spells of eastern or northeastern winds from the inner European continent, i.e., from Scandinavia, Russia, and even Siberia. Summers are warm but rarely hot. Days with measurable precipitation are common. Nevertheless, Amsterdam's average annual precipitation is less than 760 mm. Most of it pours as protracted drizzle or light rain, making cloudy and damp days common during the cooler months, October through March. Only the occasional Western storm may bring a lot of water at once, requiring all of it to be pumped out to higher grounds or to the seas around the city.

Amsterdam is the capital and the largest city of The Netherlands. Its name is derived from Amstel dam, pointing to the city's origin: a dam on the river Amstel. The city is known for its historic port, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, its red-light district, its liberal coffee shop policy, and its many canals which have led to Amsterdam being called the "Venice of the North".

Founded as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, because of its innovative developments in trade. During this time, the city was the leading centre for finance and diamonds.

The city proper comprises 751,251 inhabitants, of at least 175 nationalities. Amsterdam and its surrounding metropolitan area has a population of 1 to 1.5 million people, depending on definition. This area is part of the Randstad conurbation, which has a population of 6,659,300. Moreover, Amsterdam is a six-point Gamma Global City.