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Amsterdam: Cities
built 643 days ago
The coat of arms of Amsterdam is composed of several historical elements. First and centre are three St Andrew's crosses, aligned in a vertical band on the city's shield. These St Andrew's crosses can ... be found on the cityshields of neighbours Amstelveen and Ouder-Amstel. This part of the coat of arms is the basis of the flag of Amsterdam, flown by the city government, but also as civil ensign for ships registered in Amsterdam. Second is the Imperial Crown of Austria — in 1489, out of gratitude for services and loans, Maximilian I awarded Amsterdam the right to adorn its coat of arms with the king's crown, in 1508 replaced with Maximilian's imperial crown when he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In the early years of the 17th century, Maximilian's crown in Amsterdam's coat of arms was replaced with the crown of Emperor Rudolph II, a crown that also would become the Imperial Crown of Austria.
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Amsterdam was chartered c.1300 and in 1369 joined the Hanseatic League. Having accepted the Reformation, the people in 1578 expelled the pro-Spanish magistrates and joined the independence-oriented Netherland provinces. The commercial decline of Antwerp and Ghent and a large influx of refugees from many nations (in particular of Flemish merchants, Jewish diamond cutters and merchants, and French Huguenots), contributed to the rapid growth of Amsterdam after the late 16th cent. The Peace of Westphalia (1648), by closing the Scheldt (Escaut) to navigation, further stimulated the city's growth at the expense of the Spanish Netherlands. Amsterdam reached its apex as an intellectual and artistic center in the 17th cent., when, because of its tolerant government, it became a center of liberal thought and book printing. The city was captured by the French in 1795 and became the capital of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which was ruled by Louis Bonaparte. The constitution of 1814 made it the capital of the Netherlands; the sovereigns are usually sworn in at Amsterdam and reside in a palace outside the city.
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Amsterdam has a very active nightlife with lots of clubs, bars and coffeeshops. Some say Amsterdam has been surpassed as the 'hippest' city by Rotterdam but it still has its own unique charm. Amsterdam is famous for its coffeeshops which legally sell cannabis and "smartshops" which sell other soft drugs of varying legality.
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Amsterdam's political independence, and the commercial attitude of its leading citizens... helped create a tolerant religious climate, most significantly expressed in the treatment of Jewish immigrants. Holland did not have a Jewish community before the end of the sixteenth century, and when the first Jews arrived from Portugal in the 1590s the authorities were very open-minded about their settlement in Amsterdam. Jewish residents could obtain citizenship rights, albeit on restricted conditions. In the course of the seventeenth century two large synagogues were built in Amsterdam. Although a Jewish neighborhood developed in Amsterdam, it was not a ghetto, and Jews were permitted to live throughout the city.
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Brief visits to Amsterdam by Americans usually evoke cursory impressions of a city with charming canals (the "Venice of the North"), a laid-back lifestyle, and the multitudes moving on bicycles. Mak is a native of Amsterdam and a prominent journalist in the Netherlands. In this delightful survey of Amsterdam's past and present, Mak does not necessarily contradict these pleasing images--rather, he provides an enriched portrait of a city that he clearly loves. He incorporates elements of political, economic, and art history as well as utilizing his refined eye to offer the best elements of a travel guide. While he acknowledges that his city has often been uniquely blessed, he doesn't ignore the seamier aspects of Amsterdam's saga, which include a substantial share of civil strife and bloodshed. For those who have visited or hope to visit this metropolis, Mak's survey will provide both enjoyment and essential information.
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Amsterdam was founded as a fishing village in the thirteenth century. A dam was built across the river Amstel which gave the city its original name Amstelredam: dam across the river Amstel. The early "Amsterdammers" had a talent for business and from the fourteenth century onwards trade with the Hanseatic cities flourished. On 27 october 1275 Amestelledamme (sic) was given freedom of tolls. Amsterdam gained city rights in 1300 or 1301, granted by Guy van Henegouwen, the Bishop of Utrecht. This was ... nothing more than a confirmation of earlier rights given to the city by one of the Lords of Aemstel.
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