Rental properties Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital and the largest city of The Netherlands. Its name is derived from "Amstel dam", pointing to the city's origin: a dam on the river Amstel. The city is known for its historic port, the Rijksmuseum, its red-light district (de Wallen), its liberal coffee shop policy, and its many canals (grachten) which have led to Amsterdam being called the "Venice of the North". Founded as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, because of its innovative developments in trade. During this time, the city was the leading centre for finance and diamonds. The city proper comprises 751,251 inhabitants, containing at least 175 nationalities. With its surrounding the Amsterdam metropolitan area has a population of 1 to 1.5 million people, depending on definition. This area is part of the Randstad conurbation, which has a population of 6,659,300. Moreover, Amsterdam is a six-point Gamma Global City.

History

The first known record of Amsterdam is 27 October 1275, when the inhabitants of a late 12th century fishing village, who had built a bridge with a dam across the Amstel, were granted exempted from paying a bridge toll by count Floris V. The certificate's wording homines manentes apud Amestelledamme (people living near Amestelledamme) gives the first known use of the name Amsterdam, which by 1327 had developed into Aemsterdam. A local romance has the city being founded by two fishermen, who landed on the shores of the Amstel in a small boat with their dog. Amsterdam's origin is relatively recent when compared to other Dutch cities such as Nijmegen, Rotterdam, and Utrecht.

Geography and climate

Amsterdam is located in the northwestern part of the Netherlands in the province of North-Holland near the border with the provinces of Utrecht and South-Holland. The river Amstel runs through the city and terminates in the heart of the city's center, where it divides into a large number of canals which all terminate in the Ij. Amsterdam is situated 2 meters above sea level. The surrounding land consist of large polders, so it is flat. To the southwest of the city lies a man-made forest called het Amsterdamse Bos. Amsterdam is connected with the North Sea through the long North Sea Canal.

Canals

A woodcut (1885) of the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, a canal that is now a filled up

Much of the Amsterdam canal system is the successful outcome of city planning. In the early part of the 17th century, with immigration at a height, a comprehensive plan was put together, calling for four main, concentric half-circles of canals with their ends resting on de IJ bay. Known as the "grachtengordel", three of the canals are mostly for residential development (Herengracht or ‘'Gentleman's Canal''; Keizersgracht or ‘'Emperor's Canal''; and Prinsengracht or ‘'Prince's Canal''), and a fourth, outer canal, the Singelgracht (not to be confused with the Singel), for purposes of defense and water management. The plan also envisaged interconnecting canals along radii; a set of parallel canals in the Jordaan quarter (primarily for the transportation of goods, for example, beer); the conversion of an existing, inner perimeter canal (Singel) from a defensive purpose to residential and commercial development; and more than one hundred bridges. The defensive purpose of the Singelgracht was served by moat and earthen dikes, with gates at transit points but otherwise no masonry superstructures.

source: Wikipedia

Links

• MUSEUMSTAD (met plattegrond)
• Gemeente Amsterdam
• Amsterdams Historisch Museum over het ontstaan van Amsterdam
• Amsterdamse stadsgezichten
• Amsterdam in Site, foto's, virtuele wandeling
• Toerismebureau van Amsterdam

Would you like a room, studio, maisonnette, appartement, flat, house, villa or other an accommodation for rent, to let or to manage in Amsterdam?  In the heart of the center, on the well known canals or on walking distance from the Vondelpark, the Rembrandtplein en the Leidseplein. Living Today has properties on the canals like the Singel, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, Singelgracht or Keizersgracht. Click and look to our current housing offer in Amsterdam.