Amsterdam is the nominal capital as well as the largest city of Netherlands. Its name is derived from Amstel Dam, a dam built on river Amstel. The city is even known as the ‘Venice of the North’, owing to the popularity of its historic port, the Rijksmuseum, its red-light district (de Wallen), its laissez-faire coffee shops and the numerous canals. Amsterdam was merely a small fishing village founded in the 12th century. However, it gained importance by becoming one of the important ports during the Dutch Golden Age. In effect, it transformed into a leading center of finance and diamonds. Given below are some other interesting and fun facts about Amsterdam.
Interesting & Fun Facts about Amsterdam
- Amsterdam is the nominal capital of Netherlands.
- Amsterdam houses more than 1 million bikes.
- Amsterdam houses more than 300 coffee shops, which are legally allowed to sell up to 5 gm of soft drugs per person.
- Amsterdam is known to house maximum number of museums in the world, per square meter.
- Amsterdam owns 70 glass topped canal boats.
- If the sea level rises even slightly, Amsterdam would be one of the first cities in the world to drown, as its altitude is below sea level.
- The Van Gogh Museum and the Kröller-Müller Museum of Amsterdam contain the largest Van Gogh collections in the world.
- Though the city is the capital of the Netherlands, it does not have a parliament, as it is situated in Hague.
- The world famous diamond ‘Kohinoor’ was actually cut in Amsterdam.
- Amsterdam is entirely built on piles, by means of huge stakes driven into the ground.
- Amsterdam has more than 150 canals and 1,200 bridges within its bounds.
