What is the Capital of the Netherlands? Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. However, it is managed by Den Haag where the Netherlands government and parliament is located. The city lies in the province of North Holland, west of the country.
Established as a fishing village on the banks of the Amstel River in the 2nd century AD, Amsterdam is today the largest city in terms of the number of people, and the most important cultural and monetary city.
When did Amsterdam Become the Capital?
Amsterdam dates back to 1200 years. Because the city developed around a dam on the Amstel River, it was known as Amstel-reddamme.
This settlement center was dominated by the counties of the Netherlands in 1296 and gained importance in 1482 to require a protective wall. It was the main city of the Netherlands as a result of the decline of Antwerp and Flemish cities in the late 1500’s.
Protestants from France, Jews from Spain and Portugal, while escaping from religious pressures to Amsterdam, also brought their business experiences, technical knowledge and cultural wealth together. Thus, in the 1600s it reached the peak of prosperity and power on the economic front.
The city was surrounded by the armies of Louis XIV of France in 1672, William II of the Netherlands in 1650, and the French in 1795. During the Napoleonic Wars, the British blockade of the sea affected the city’s trade life negatively.
Although Rotterdam seized most of the trade with Netherlands and Germany, the opening of the North Netherlands Canal in 1825 brought Amsterdam back to an important port. In the First World War, though the city’s trade life was back again, it developed rapidly after the war. During the Second World War, with the bombing, the German occupation forces destroyed most of the harbor. After the war, the harbor was brought into service in a short time and the city regained its old position.
Features of Amsterdam
Amsterdam has a population of 821,752 as of 2015. The surface area is 219.3 square kilometers. The climate in Amsterdam consists of cold and rainy winters and hot and rainy summers. Temperatures increase especially in June-July-August and average 20 degrees. The coldest months are December-January-February.
The Netherlands has a very strong economy and has played a special role in the European economy for centuries. Since the 16th century, shipping, fishing, trade, and banking have been the most important sectors of the Dutch economy. The Netherlands is one of the top ten exporting countries in the world and has the 16th largest economy in the world.
Amsterdam is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. In the city people from 180 different countries live. This, in turn, allows different forms of life, religions, and beliefs to take place in the city.
Important Places to See in Amsterdam
The Netherlands’s capital city Amsterdam, which holds contradictions together successfully and proves that it is possible to create a rich culture from such a complex structure, offers nearly three hundred museums, amusing squares, and canals and entertaining for adults. At the beginning of the places see in Amsterdam; Canals of Amsterdam, Dam Square, and the Van Gogh Museum.