Amsterdam- Short History
CITY TALK AMSTERDAM
POPULATION: Approx. 78,000
SHORT HISTORY
It is said that Amsterdam was founded at the place where two fishermen and a seasick dog jumped ashore from a small boat to escape a storm in the Zuiderzee. The dog threw up, thus marking the spot. The Fishermen slogged up a muddy bank and had a stiff drink, thus laying the foundations of a tavern around which the entire metropolis would grow. The city’s original coat of arms backs up this tale, and you can see representations of it on the façade of the Beurs van Berlage (Old Stock Exchange) and the Munttoren (Mint Tower) and above the Mayor’s fireplace in the Old Town Hall (now the Royal Palace) on the Dam. Although it’s a far-fetched tale, it seems that fishermen did play the decisive role in founding Amsterdam. Early in the 12th Century, some fishermen realized that the area at the mouth of the Amstel River allowed their wooden cog ships easy access to the lucrative fishing in both the IJ inlet and the Zuiderzee. They built huts there, probably on raised mounds of earth, called terps, examples of which still abound in coastal Friesland. Amsterdam’s name derived from the river Amstel and a dam built into it by the cities inhabitants.
Eighty Years War
This is the war fought between Catholic Spain and the Protestant Netherlands which resulted in the independence of the Netherlands from Spain, the separation of the Southern part of the Netherlands (Flanders) from the Northern part. The result was the formation the Dutch Republic.
Charles V's son Philip II, inherited the throne of Spain. And as King Philip of Spain he sought to annihilate the reformation in the Netherlands. Many of the Dutch rebelled. They wanted to keep their freedom and opposed the idea of religious persecution. Prince William of Orange became their national leader. His ironic nickname, William the Silent, came from his skill as a negotiator - never committing himself until the last possible moment. In 1572,
POPULATION: Approx. 78,000
SHORT HISTORY
It is said that Amsterdam was founded at the place where two fishermen and a seasick dog jumped ashore from a small boat to escape a storm in the Zuiderzee. The dog threw up, thus marking the spot. The Fishermen slogged up a muddy bank and had a stiff drink, thus laying the foundations of a tavern around which the entire metropolis would grow. The city’s original coat of arms backs up this tale, and you can see representations of it on the façade of the Beurs van Berlage (Old Stock Exchange) and the Munttoren (Mint Tower) and above the Mayor’s fireplace in the Old Town Hall (now the Royal Palace) on the Dam. Although it’s a far-fetched tale, it seems that fishermen did play the decisive role in founding Amsterdam. Early in the 12th Century, some fishermen realized that the area at the mouth of the Amstel River allowed their wooden cog ships easy access to the lucrative fishing in both the IJ inlet and the Zuiderzee. They built huts there, probably on raised mounds of earth, called terps, examples of which still abound in coastal Friesland. Amsterdam’s name derived from the river Amstel and a dam built into it by the cities inhabitants.
Eighty Years War
This is the war fought between Catholic Spain and the Protestant Netherlands which resulted in the independence of the Netherlands from Spain, the separation of the Southern part of the Netherlands (Flanders) from the Northern part. The result was the formation the Dutch Republic.
Charles V's son Philip II, inherited the throne of Spain. And as King Philip of Spain he sought to annihilate the reformation in the Netherlands. Many of the Dutch rebelled. They wanted to keep their freedom and opposed the idea of religious persecution. Prince William of Orange became their national leader. His ironic nickname, William the Silent, came from his skill as a negotiator - never committing himself until the last possible moment. In 1572,