Amsterdam › Places and landmarks
Dam
The square on the dam built across the Amstel in the 13th century, which gave the city its name.
In the 13th century a dam was built across the river Amstel, and the town that grew up around it was called Amstelredamme. The square on that spot is still the heart of the city, with the Royal Palace on one side and the National Monument on the other.
The white National Monument of 1956 remembers the victims of the Second World War; every year on 4 May the king lays a wreath there.
More in Amsterdam
Royal PalaceBuilt as the city hall of the Golden Age, made a palace by Louis Napoleon in 1808.
Nieuwe KerkThe church on the Dam where Dutch kings and queens are sworn in.
BegijnhofA hidden courtyard of old houses round a garden, behind a door off the Spui.
SpuiA small square of bookshops and cafés, with a book market on Fridays.
Flower marketThe floating flower market on the Singel, selling bulbs and flowers since 1862.
WesterkerkThe church on the Prinsengracht with the tallest tower in Amsterdam, crowned by an imperial crown.
Anne Frank HouseThe canal house where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis and she wrote her diary.
Canal ringThe half-moon of 17th-century canals round the old town, on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
BikesAmsterdam has more bikes than people, and they rule the streets.
TramsThe blue and white trams of the GVB, ringing their way across the Dam and down the Rokin.
Canal boatsThe long glass-roofed boats that take visitors round the canals and under the low bridges.
StroopwafelTwo thin waffles with a layer of warm caramel syrup between them.