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Amsterdam is a remarkable place. It is the largest city of the Netherlands, which is also the capital of the state constitutional windmills, bicycles and tulips, annually attracts multitudes of tourists. There's nothing strange, however. Both day and night landscape of this beautiful city is able to fascinate many attractions zaliczanymi both to the world of art, culture and life as directed only to recipients who have long been ... of age. So why do we see for yourself the fascinating Amsterdam? What are the attractions waiting for tourists visiting the city? I became aware how famous his name ... "Red Light District"?

City name

Amsterdam is a city located along the Amstel River, with numerous channels, forming way or another point to visit for tourists coming to town. It is precisely because of these channels, the most picturesque cities of the Netherlands is sometimes referred to as the "Venice of the North". And why? Because the three major channels characterized by a characteristic crescent shape - Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht - combine with smaller channels thus forming a kind of simple water network, which in turn divides the entire Amsterdam on many islands. And if by "nicknames" of Amsterdam provided, it should also explain the story behind the name of the city. Well, the word "Amsterdam" in reality means nothing else but a dam on the Amstel River. The very first name was used in the form of writing in Latin as early as in 1275th He did this Count Floris V of writing the phrase "Apud homines manentes Amestelledamme" and significant simply "people living near Amestelledamme." However, in 1282 in the name of the town first appeared in the letter "r" thereby changing the entry on "Amestelredamme." Exactly 45 years later, namely in 1327, Count William III used the longer form closest to the currently used name the biggest city in the Netherlands, the "Aemsterdam."

History of Amsterdam

Amsterdam beginnings date back to the thirteenth century. Due to the fact that the cultivation of the land here was almost impossible, residents began to deal primarily fishing and sailing. You do not have to wait long so that the bay be rapidly transformed into a commercial port. In 1342 Amsterdam was - at the hands of Count William IV - "The Great Privilege," by which the determined position of the city was strengthened. Thus, in the fifteenth century, Amsterdam became the most important trading city in the Netherlands. Further fate of the city - even though the following wars - only strengthened the position of the city as the leader of the trade route. It is worth mentioning that in 1602 the city became the largest shareholder in the Dutch East India Company called at the same time gaining a financial center. It was the first "golden age" of Amsterdam. The largest losses accrue to the city but for the French Revolution. But back to the old position does not take too much time and the city revives after regaining independence, the Netherlands. The second "golden age" of experiencing Amsterdam in the late nineteenth century. Takes place in the 60's and 70's cultural revolution of the twentieth century makes it the largest city of the Netherlands gained the name "magic." This is so for this reason that a high level of tolerance for the so-called "soft drugs" makes Amsterdam becomes the kind of "hippie mecca."

Tourism

Amsterdam is one of the sites are open to receiving visitors. Every year the city is visited by about four million tourists, which naturally has an extremely positive impact on its economy. The town is located about 300 hotels, there are also numerous theaters, museums and galleries. It is worth noting that Amsterdam also has its own ballet. The largest, the cultural attractions of the city should include, inter alia, the oldest, located in the parish church Oude Kerk was built in the thirteenth century, the oldest Protestant church was built between 1603 Zuiderkerk the year 1611, Dam Square and the Nationaal Monument, the monument commemorating the liberation from German occupation of Amsterdam in 1944; Magere Brug, the so-called "Skinny Bridge" is located along the Amstel River, which connects the edges near Kerkstraat street, between Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht canals, Rembrandt, Rembrandt square in the middle or the statue of Rembrandt is proved, the Concertgebouw, the concert hall dating at the end of the nineteenth century, numerous museums including, inter alia, the Van Gogh Museum, a museum of architecture Arcam, Architectuur Centrum Amsterdam, the Museum of hashish, marijuana and Hemp Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum or the Museum of Windmills and Molen van Sloten polders Kuiperijmuseum meth.
The largest of cities throughout the Netherlands is also a very tolerant place (indeed widely recognized as the gay capital of Europe), famous for its liberal policy towards "soft drugs". Tourists are attracted here especially specialty coffee, so-called "coffeeshop'y", in which the use of marijuana has been zdepenalizowane. It is worth noting that deserves attention, in particular, nocturnal nature of the city in which, however, should only find adults. We are thinking especially life that goes on in the so-called "Red Light District" which is simply a place where numerous houses were gathered pleasure, shops with erotic toys, sex shops and fashionable clubs for homosexuals. The name "Red Light District" comes from the fact that women love offering here have paid on sites of houses presenting their charms in the light red light. However zaglądający somewhat peculiar to this place, tourists are unlikely to be able to boast of his friends visited before, and this is due to the fact that the Red Light District is completely non-shooting.