Medieval Center and Dam Square

The Schreierstoren, or Criers' Tower, marks the corner of the Geldersekade with a curved, fifteenth-century brick facade that juts into the water. It served as a defensive bastion for the city walls, but its name comes from the women who…

The heavy, brick tower in the center of Nieuwmarkt features five distinct spires rising above a thick stone base. This is the Saint Anthony’s Gate, completed in fourteen eighty-eight as a defensive entrance to Amsterdam. It served as a…

The Oude Kerk features a jagged, dark spire that rises abruptly above the tightly packed houses of the Red Light District. It began as a wooden chapel in the thirteenth century before evolving into the city's first parish church. Sailors…

The low wooden building with a facade of dark, weathered timber stands on a corner near the Oude Kerk. Inside, the floor is covered in a thick layer of sand, a tradition maintained since the seventeenth century. While other establishments…

Dam Square centers on a massive white stone pillar reaching toward the sky, the National Monument. This open expanse serves as the historical heart of Amsterdam, marking the site where a thirteenth-century dam once held back the Amstel…

The Nieuwe Kerk features a jagged, unfinished brick tower that cuts a stark silhouette against the city skyline. Construction began in the fourteenth century because the nearby Oude Kerk could no longer accommodate the city’s growing…

The Royal Palace Amsterdam stands on the Dam square, held up by over thirteen thousand wooden piles driven deep into the swampy soil. It began in sixteen forty-eight as a city hall, designed to project the wealth of a global merchant…

The Begijnhof hides behind a heavy wooden door that opens into a quiet, enclosed courtyard. It originated in the fourteenth century as a sanctuary for the Beguines, laywomen who lived like nuns but took no permanent vows. While the…