Peat streams. Schoteroog likely owes its existence to these ancient waterways. Today, Schoteroog stands as a park in the Netherlands. But its story is intertwined with Amsterdam’s own.
Amsterdam began around 1000 CE. Inhabitants settled at the mouth of the Amstel. They started peatland reclamation. After the All Saints’ Flood in 1170 a dam was built in the Amstel. This protected the lower lands from floods.
In 1275 Amsterdam was granted a toll privilege by Count Floris V. This exempted it from a bridge toll. This made Amsterdam popular for international traders. They could sell goods at lower prices. During the Middle Ages, it grew into a major trading city. The 17th century was Amsterdam’s Golden Age. It became the most important trading hub in Europe. Amsterdam was the leading financial center of the western world.
Amsterdam is called the Venice of the North. This is because of its numerous canals. Amsterdam has 165 canals. They total more than 100 kilometers. These waterways divide the city into small islands. Over 1200 bridges connect them. The three most important canals are Herengracht Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht. They were created in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age.
The city is built on poles. Many poles support it. Amsterdam is built on eleven million poles. The city is a meter or so below sea-level. The train station Amsterdam Centraal alone needs 9000 poles to be supported. A normal house needs only 10. These wooden poles of 15-20 meters are placed in a sandy layer. This layer is around 11 meters deep.
Amsterdam has been the capital of The Netherlands since 1983. Before that, everyone saw Amsterdam as the capital. But it wasn’t officially stated in the constitution.
The city of Amsterdam is located on 90 small islands. Amsterdam has more canals than Venice. It has more bridges than Paris. You can find more than 400 kilometers of cycle paths in Amsterdam. Most canal houses are small at the entrance. This is because they only had to pay taxes for the size of the facade. That’s why everyone built high and long houses.
Amsterdam has more than 7000 monumental buildings. There are 55 theatres and concert halls in Amsterdam. You can find around 16.000 plays and concerts yearly. 63% of the Amsterdammers use their bikes daily. The oldest house can be found at the Begijnhof. The house has a wooden façade that dates back to 1475. Amsterdam has the highest concentration of museums per square meter of all cities in the world.
The nickname of Amsterdam is Mokum. It comes from the Hebrew word of makan. Makan means city.
Amsterdam has the most carillons in the world. You can find eight of them in Amsterdam. Most of them date back to the Golden Age.
Amsterdam gets visited by around 14 million tourists each year. Around 4.5 million of those are Dutch tourists. More than 9.5 million are foreign visitors. And that in a city that has only around 821.000 inhabitants.
The motto under the sign of Amsterdam says heroic determined and merciful. There are several explanations of what the XXX sign of Amsterdam stands for. One of them is that the crosses stand for St. Andrew. He was a fisherman who was tortured on a cross in the shape of an X in the first century.
Schoteroog a park near a city built on canals history and resilience. It is a testament to Dutch ingenuity. It is a quiet escape from the urban hustle. It is a reminder of Amsterdam’s watery origins.