Dam squware is the heart of Amsterdam. It all started from here when in 1270, local fishers erected a dam (Dam) along the Amstel River and created Amsteldam - the future Amsterdam. They traded fish and everything that promised profit until the massive building development began. The fruits of which are the modern building of the Royal Palace - the former City Hall, Never Kerk - New Church, De Bijenkorf department store, Madame Tuso Museum, and Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. All buildings of the early eras and styles organize the most famous square of the city. The church began to be built back in 1380; according to the sundial, all the clocks in the town were set on its tower. For a hundred years, the Amsterdam people donated tin to the porch for the construction of the bell tower, but the money was spent on the structure of the city hall. This luxurious Italian-style building accompanied the life of citizens in crucial moments in a bankruptcy room under the image of a falling Icarus and rats in the middle of paperwork, and civil disputes resolved in the Confidence room. Only in 1806, the city hall was occupied by Napoleon's brother Louis, who became the first crowned developer of the Netherlands. His reign lasted four years and was accompanied by the transformation of the city hall into a royal palace. Today Queen Beatrix stops at the royal palace when she comes to the city from The Hague once a year, and she was crowned in 1980 from the neighboring church that we already know. On the opposite side of the square is a tall white monument. It is dedicated to the Dutch, who died in World War II. On the corner of Dam Square and Kalverstraat Street on May 7, 1945, drunken Nazis shot 19 people from the windows of the house who had fun in honor of the victory over Nazi Germany. Let's walk along Kalverstraat, the city's most famous shopping street. In the Middle Ages there was a livestock market - which gave the name to the road, and today there are the most recognized brands. You can visit the Nieuwe Kerk church daily from 10.00 to 18.00, and on Thursday 10.00 to 22.00, entrance is paid during exhibitions. Excursions in the Royal Palace daily from 12.30 to 17.00; it is better to check the opening hours of summer exhibitions by phone or on the website, admission is paid.

https://www.koninklijkhuis.nl

Photo: Author: Photo: Andreas Praefcke - own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4270632