Perhaps you’ve heard it called a safe haven. Amstelland-Meerlanden is a region with a rich story. It is a collaboration between several municipalities. These include Aalsmeer Amstelveen and Diemen. Haarlemmermeer Ouder-Amstel Uithoorn and De Ronde Venen are also part of it.
Once Amsterdam was called Amstelredam. That was its name when it was founded. The name comes from the city’s location on the Amstel river. It started as a small fishing village. It was founded on a dam built to control flooding. By 1300 the area gained official city status.
Amsterdam is also nicknamed Mokum. This comes from the Yiddish word for safe place. It was considered a safe haven for European Jews. This was especially true during the Holocaust.
Interestingly Amsterdam is built on 11 million wooden poles. The city is below sea level. The ground is very wet. Amsterdam is built on clay soil. This soil is soft and can shift. Without the poles buildings could move. That could cause huge damage.
Amsterdam has the smallest house in Europe. It is only 2.02 metres wide. It is also 5 metres deep. Amsterdam surprises people. It has many narrow and tall buildings. They front the canals. These houses were built to evade property tax. Canal-front buildings were taxed based on their width. People built the narrowest homes they could.
Did you know that Amsterdam has more bridges than Venice? There are over 160 canals. They total around 100km. Amsterdam has 1281 bridges. That is four times more than Venice.
Many people choose to live in boathouses. There are roughly 2500 houseboats in the city. Many are over 100 years old. Boathouses are a solution to the housing crisis. There is a Houseboat Museum. The Catboat is a cat refuge. It is a floating animal sanctuary. It’s the world’s only floating animal rescue center.
Amsterdam even has a floating flower market. Traders used to transport goods by barge. Nowadays it is secured on fixed barges. The flower market is open Monday to Saturday. It’s a vibrant part of the city.
There are four times more bikes than cars in Amsterdam. Bikes are easy to get around the city center. There are around 881000 bikes in Amsterdam. Shockingly 12000 to 15000 bikes are fished out of the canals every year. Bike fisherman is a job now. They keep the canals clear of debris.
Amsterdam has the highest museum density in the world. There are over 90 museums. Some of the best are the Van Gogh Museum and The Rijksmuseum. The Cat Cabinet is a quirky museum. It is all about cats.
Amsterdam has more than 160 coffeeshops. Coffeeshops sell coffee and tea. People can also buy and use cannabis products. These locations are strictly monitored. Some are only accessible to locals.
Heineken was founded in Amsterdam. It started in The Haystack brewery. Gerard Adriaan Heineken first brewed Heineken lager in 1873.
The Red Light District’s local name is De Wallen. The name translates to The Walls. It may reference the walled area of the canal docks. The Red Light District has blue lights too. Red lights are for cisgendered sex workers. Blue lights are for transgender sex workers.
The Red Light District has the only museum of prostitution in the world. It is set in an old brothel. It has exhibitions on the history of prostitution. The oldest house in Amsterdam is in De Wallen. It is Warmoessrtraat 90. It was built in 1485.
Amsterdam is a city with a rich history and culture. It has unique architecture. It is a dream holiday destination. You can cycle along historic streets. You can visit museums. You can sample coffee in coffeeshops. The municipalities in Amstelland-Meerlanden contribute to this. They ensure the region remains a vibrant part of the Netherlands.