I just got back from a fun trip to the Netherlands, which included one week in Amsterdam and one week in the South of the Netherlands. On my way back, I was looking something up for my other travel blog posts and found some amazing facts about Amsterdam. Then I thought to write them down for you, so here they are!
24 Facts about Amsterdam
1. Below Sea Level
Amsterdam is below sea level. Actually a big part of the Netherlands is below sea level. The lowest point in Amsterdam is about 22 feet.
2. Fishing village
Amsterdam was originally a fishing village in the 12th century.
3. A city build on wooden poles
There are 11 million wooden poles that support the entire city. Most of the houses are supported by 10. In fact, the Central Station is supported by 9,000 poles. Otherwise, buildings will sink into the sandy, swampy ground. That’s why a lot of houses look very crooked. They’re called “Dancing Houses”.
4. Multi-Cultural
Amsterdam is very multi-cultural. People from 178 different nationalities are permanent residents of the city.
5. Taxes
Why are the houses so narrow in Amsterdam? Because they used to be taxed on the width of the front of the house.
6. Bridges
There are 1,281 bridges in Amsterdam
7. Canals
Venice is known for its canals, but Amsterdam has a good amount too. Amsterdam has 165, Venice 177.
8. Bike Lanes
The bike lanes in Amsterdam are almost 250 miles in length.
9. And talking about Bikes!
There are 847.000 bicycles in Amsterdam, and only 821,752 people. Between 12,000 and 15,000 bikes are hauled out from the city’s canals every year.
10. Language
English is the official 2nd language in Amsterdam.
11. Transportation
Locals ride bikes on all occasions. To work, to the beach, taking the kids to school, rain or shine…and they’re really fast.
12. No. 1 stolen item…?
Amsterdam’s most stolen item. Can you guess? Of course, THE BIKE! About 100,000 a year.
13. Privacy
Amsterdam locals like to keep their curtains open day and night. Even if they do private things.
14. House Boats
Lots of people live on house boats. There are 2,500 house boats in Amsterdam. It is possible to rent a boat if you are staying in Amsterdam. You can go to www.vrbo.com, type in Amsterdam, look for “filters” and click “boat” under “property type”.
15. Tourists
20,000,000 tourists visit Amsterdam every year. That is about 20 times as many locals.
16. Stock Exchange
The world’s oldest stock exchange is in Amsterdam. Build in 1602.
17. Museums
There are 75 museums in this city, not only the famous Rijksmuseum, but also a cheese and tulip museum.
18. Coffee Shops
A coffee shop is not a Starbucks. Coffee shops are licensed sellers of cannabis products. You cannot smoke in cafe’s or restaurants since 2008, but you can smoke weed in coffee shops, no normal cigarettes….and have cofffee.
19. Red Light District
The Red Light district is one of the safest areas in the city.
20. The 3 Crosses
The triple X symbol you see on a lot of places in Amsterdam has nothing to do with sex tourism. But it is a Coat of Arms, which is the official symbol of Amsterdam. It could be the 3 crosses from St. Andrew, but there are more theories about the crosses.
21. Gay Marriages
Amsterdam was the first capital city in the world to allow gay marriages. It took effect on April 1st, 2001.
22. Coffee
Amsterdam residents are the second largest consumers of coffee in the world, consuming around 3.2 cups a day.
23. Traffic Rules
Even though the streets are very narrow and the walk ways even narrower, don’t walk on the streets, the bikers will ring their bells and yell at you!
24. Red or Blue?
It is not all red at the Red Light District. Some windows can be blue (this means that a transgender sex worker is behind the glass).
Do you know any more fun facts about Amsterdam? Please let me know!!
Hope you can pin this one for me!
Hello everyone,
Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.