About Amsterdam

A Unique City. Thanks to Amsterdam's unique mix of classic and contemporary, the city is now a leading tourist destination, a coveted place to live and a prime spot for business. The city's beauty and cultural attractions alone drew over 7 million overnight stays in 2004. Cross-streets lined with shops, cafés, creative businesses, and cultural venues assure a lively and contemporary scene for its residents. The warehouses once used for trade have now been converted into lovely apartments that mix comfortably with international financial institutions nestled in 18th-century mansions. Bicycles, trams, metros, boats and even skates now carry the city's inhabitants through their day. Impressive modern architecture from the past decade provides for unique living and office space in what was once old factories on the outskirts and surrounding islands. The Amsterdam Area itself continues to produce and innovate, competing with metropolises around the world and proving a vital and inspiring setting for the creative industries in the broadest sense.

Amsterdam is famous for its spider web of waterways that divide the city centre into about ninety islands linked by characteristic bridges.

The famous canal rings in the shape of a crescent - comprising of Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht - were constructed in the 17th century, when they were used to transport products from all corners of the world to the warehouses. However, the oldest canals where originally intended to protect the city against unwanted visitors. The rapid population growth ensured that this line of defense had to be repeatedly moved.  While the bulwarks were reconstructed further up, the canals remained in use by the shipping traders and merchants.

Nowadays, international shipping unloads its cargo elsewhere in the harbour, but Amsterdam's canals are still intensively navigated by over seventy tour boats. About 2.4 million passengers take trips in them every year to discover the countless canals. A diligent Amsterdammer once counted the canals and totalled 160, a combined length of 75.5 kilometres, a total area of 171 hectares and a volume of 2 million cubic metres.

Information
www.amsterdam.info
www.iamsterdam.com