Editing Amsterdam (section)

==Cityscape and architecture==
{{see also|List of tallest buildings in Amsterdam}}
[[File:Amsterdam Cityscape.jpg|thumb|800px|center|{{center|View of the city centre looking southwest from the Oosterdokskade}}]]
[[File:View_of_Amsterdam.JPG|upright=1.5|thumb|A 1538 painting by [[Cornelis Anthonisz]] showing a bird's-eye view of Amsterdam. The famous [[Grachtengordel]] had not yet been established.]]
Amsterdam fans out south from the [[Amsterdam Centraal station]] and [[Damrak]], the main street off the station. The oldest area of the town is known as [[De Wallen]] (English: "The Quays"). It lies to the east of Damrak and contains the city's famous red-light district. To the south of De Wallen is the old Jewish quarter of Waterlooplein.

The medieval and colonial age [[canals of Amsterdam]], known as ''grachten'', embraces the heart of the city where homes have interesting gables. Beyond the Grachtengordel are the former working-class areas of [[Jordaan]] and de Pijp. The [[Museumplein]] with the city's major museums, the [[Vondelpark]], a 19th-century park named after the Dutch writer [[Joost van den Vondel]], as well as the [[Plantage (Amsterdam)|Plantage]] neighbourhood, with the [[Natura Artis Magistra|zoo]], are also located outside the Grachtengordel.

Several parts of the city and the surrounding urban area are [[polder]]s. This can be recognised by the suffix ''-meer'' which means ''lake'', as in [[Aalsmeer]], [[Bijlmermeer]], [[Haarlemmermeer]] and [[Watergraafsmeer]].

===Canals===
{{Main|Canals of Amsterdam}}
[[File:Town Houses on Canal in Amsterdam - Nov 1977.jpg|left|thumb|Rokin – November 1977]]
The Amsterdam canal system is the result of conscious [[Urban planning|city planning]].<ref name="canals">{{Cite web |title=Amsterdamse Grachten |url=http://amsterdam.nl/stad_in_beeld/werkstukken/grachten |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320060143/http://amsterdam.nl/stad_in_beeld/werkstukken/grachten |archive-date=20 March 2008 |access-date=21 May 2008 |publisher=Municipality Amsterdam |language=nl}}</ref> In the early 17th century, when immigration was at a peak, a comprehensive plan was developed that was based on four concentric half-circles of canals with their ends emerging at the [[IJ (Amsterdam)|IJ]] bay. Known as the [[Grachtengordel]], three of the canals were mostly for residential development: the [[Herengracht]] (where "Heren" refers to ''Heren Regeerders van de stad Amsterdam'', ruling lords of Amsterdam, while ''[[gracht]]'' means canal, so that the name can be roughly translated as "Canal of the Lords"), [[Keizersgracht]] (Emperor's Canal) and [[Prinsengracht]] (Prince's Canal).<ref>{{Cite web |title=SHVriendenwandeling2017web1.pdf |url=https://www.stadsherstel.nl/ul/cms/fck-uploaded/SHVriendenwandeling2017web1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409171642/https://www.stadsherstel.nl/ul/cms/fck-uploaded/SHVriendenwandeling2017web1.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2018 |access-date=9 April 2018 |publisher=stadsherstel}}</ref> The fourth and outermost canal is the [[Singelgracht]], which is often not mentioned on maps because it is a collective name for all canals in the outer ring. The Singelgracht should not be confused with the oldest and innermost canal, the [[Singel]].

[[File:Herengracht-december-2.jpg|thumb|Herengracht]]
[[File:Prinsengracht towads Lekkeresluis from Bridge Prinsenstraat 2016-09-12.jpg|thumb|Prinsengracht]]
The canals served for defense, [[Water resource management|water management]] and transport. The defenses took the form of a moat and [[Earthworks (engineering)|earthen dikes]], with gates at transit points, but otherwise no masonry [[superstructure]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Taverne |first=E. R. M. |title=In 't land van belofte, in de nieuwe stadt: ideaal en werkelijkheid van de stadsuitleg in de Republiek, 1580–1680 (In the land of promise, in the kinky city: ideal and reality of the city lay-out in the [Dutch] Republic, 1580–1680) |publisher=Schwartz |year=1978 |isbn=978-90-6179-024-2 |location=Maarssen}}</ref> The original plans have been lost, so historians, such as Ed Taverne, need to speculate on the original intentions: it is thought that the considerations of the layout were purely practical and defensive rather than ornamental.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sako Musterd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5UaM50-E-wwC&pg=PA33 |title=Amsterdam Human Capital |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-90-5356-595-7 |page=33}}</ref>

Construction started in 1613 and proceeded from west to east, across the breadth of the layout, like a gigantic [[Windscreen wiper|windshield wiper]] as the historian [[Geert Mak]] calls it – and not from the centre outwards, as a popular myth has it. The canal construction in the southern sector was completed by 1656. Subsequently, the construction of residential buildings proceeded slowly. The eastern part of the concentric canal plan, covering the area between the Amstel River and the IJ Bay, has never been implemented. In the following centuries, the land was used for parks, senior citizens' homes, theatres, other public facilities, and waterways without much planning.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mak |first=G. |title=Een kleine geschiedenis van Amsterdam |publisher=Uitgeverij Atlas |year=1995 |isbn=978-90-450-1232-2 |location=Amsterdam/Antwerp}}</ref> Over the years, several canals have been filled in, becoming streets or squares, such as the [[Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal]] and the [[Spui (Amsterdam)|Spui]].<ref name="filledincanals">{{Cite web |title=Dempingen en Aanplempingen |url=http://www.onderdekeizerskroon.nl/wschoonenberg/dempingen.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080518172457/http://www.onderdekeizerskroon.nl/wschoonenberg/dempingen.html |archive-date=18 May 2008 |access-date=21 May 2008 |publisher=Walther Schoonenberg |language=nl}}</ref>

===Expansion===
{{Main|Expansion of Amsterdam since the 19th century}}
[[File:Brug 127 in de Lijnbaansgracht over de Egelantiersgracht foto 4.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Egelantiersgracht]] lies west of the [[Grachtengordel]], in the [[Jordaan]] neighbourhood.]]
After the development of Amsterdam's canals in the 17th century, the city did not grow beyond its borders for two centuries. During the 19th century, [[Samuel Sarphati]] devised a plan based on the grandeur of Paris and London at that time. The plan envisaged the construction of new houses, public buildings, and streets just outside the [[Grachtengordel (Amsterdam)|Grachtengordel]]. The main aim of the plan, however, was to improve public health. Although the plan did not expand the city, it did produce some of the largest public buildings to date, like the ''Paleis voor Volksvlijt''.<ref name="joodsmuseum">{{Cite web |title=Samuel Sarphati |url=http://www.jhm.nl/personen.aspx?naam=Sarphati%2C%20Samuel |access-date=5 June 2008 |publisher=Joods Historisch Museum Amsterdam |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="zgsarphati">{{Cite web |title=Sarphatihuis |url=https://www.amsta.nl/locaties/dr-sarphatihuis |access-date=30 May 2023 |publisher=Amsta |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="jlgsarphati">{{Cite web |title=Samuel Sarphati |url=http://www.jlgrealestate.com/Samuel_Sarphati/Sarphatipark/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805203131/http://www.jlgrealestate.com/Samuel_Sarphati/Sarphatipark/ |archive-date=5 August 2009 |access-date=5 June 2008 |publisher=JLG Real Estate |language=nl}}</ref>

Following Sarphati, civil engineers Jacobus van Niftrik and Jan Kalff designed an entire ring of 19th-century neighbourhoods surrounding the city's centre, with the city preserving the ownership of all land outside the 17th-century limit, thus firmly controlling development.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Van Niftrik's plan at the Amsterdam City Archives |url=http://stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl/english/amsterdam_treasures/maps/plan_van_niftrik/index.en.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724143743/http://stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl/english/amsterdam_treasures/maps/plan_van_niftrik/index.en.html |archive-date=24 July 2011 |access-date=10 October 2010 |publisher=Stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl}}</ref> Most of these neighbourhoods became home to the working class.<ref name="oudzuid">{{Cite web |title=Amsterdam Oud-Zuid |url=http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/oudzuid/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113182449/http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/oudzuid/index.html |archive-date=13 January 2008 |access-date=5 June 2008 |publisher=BMZ |language=nl}}</ref>

In response to overcrowding, two plans were designed at the beginning of the 20th century which were very different from anything Amsterdam had ever seen before: ''Plan Zuid'' (designed by the architect [[Hendrik Petrus Berlage|Berlage]]) and ''West''. These plans involved the development of new neighbourhoods consisting of housing blocks for all social classes.<ref name="archiefberlage">{{Cite web |title=Berlage's Expansion Plan |url=http://stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl/english/amsterdam_treasures/planning/uitbreidingsplan_berlage/index.en.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130112133013/http://stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl/english/amsterdam_treasures/planning/uitbreidingsplan_berlage/index.en.html |archive-date=12 January 2013 |access-date=5 June 2008 |publisher=Stadsarchief Amsterdam}}</ref><ref name="bmzberlage">{{Cite web |title=Plan-Berlage |url=http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/intro/topo7.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514181847/http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/intro/topo7.html |archive-date=14 May 2006 |access-date=5 June 2008 |publisher=Bureau Monumentenzorg Amsterdam |language=nl}}</ref>

After the Second World War, large new neighbourhoods were built in the western, southeastern, and northern parts of the city. These new neighbourhoods were built to relieve the city's shortage of living space and give people affordable houses with modern conveniences. The neighbourhoods consisted mainly of large housing blocks located among green spaces, connected to wide roads, making the neighbourhoods easily accessible by [[Car|motor car]]. The western suburbs which were built in that period are collectively called the Westelijke Tuinsteden. The area to the southeast of the city built during the same period is known as the [[Bijlmermeer|Bijlmer]].<ref name="bijlmer">{{Cite web |title=Westelijke Tuinsteden |url=http://www.ymere.nl/ymere/template.asp?mnid=1&subid=35&cntid=119 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050220211611/http://www.ymere.nl/ymere/template.asp?mnid=1&subid=35&cntid=119 |archive-date=20 February 2005 |access-date=5 June 2008 |publisher=Ymere |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="westelijketuinsteden">{{Cite web |title=Ontwerp Westelijke Tuinsteden |url=http://www.archex.info/nederlands/nederland/amsterdam_westelijke_tuinsteden.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611221726/http://www.archex.info/nederlands/nederland/amsterdam_westelijke_tuinsteden.html |archive-date=11 June 2008 |access-date=5 June 2008 |publisher=Archex.info |language=nl}}</ref>

===Architecture===
[[File:Palacio Real, Ámsterdam, Países Bajos, 2016-05-30, DD 07-09 HDR.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam]], by architects [[Jacob van Campen]] and [[Daniël Stalpaert]] is characteristic of the architecture of the [[Dutch Baroque architecture]].]]
Amsterdam has a rich [[History of architecture|architectural history]]. The oldest building in Amsterdam is the [[Oude Kerk, Amsterdam|Oude Kerk]] (English: Old Church), at the heart of the Wallen, consecrated in 1306.<ref name="Oude Kerk">{{Cite web |title=Oude Kerk official website |url=http://www.oudekerk.nl/ |access-date=10 June 2009}}</ref> The oldest wooden building is ''Het Houten Huys''<ref name="houtenhuys">{{Cite web |title=Houten Huys |url=http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/huizen/beg34.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226022822/http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/huizen/beg34.html |archive-date=26 December 2007 |access-date=19 May 2008 |language=nl}}</ref> at the [[Begijnhof, Amsterdam|Begijnhof]]. It was constructed around 1425 and is one of only two existing wooden buildings. It is also one of the few examples of [[Gothic architecture]] in Amsterdam. The oldest stone building in the Netherlands, The Moriaan is built in [['s-Hertogenbosch]].

In the 16th century, wooden buildings were razed and replaced with brick ones. During this period, many buildings were constructed in the [[architectural style]] of the [[The Renaissance|Renaissance]]. Buildings of this period are very recognisable with their [[Crow-stepped gable|stepped gable]] façades, which is the common Dutch Renaissance style. Amsterdam quickly developed its own [[Renaissance architecture]]. These buildings were built according to the principles of the architect [[Hendrick de Keyser]].<ref name="dekeyser">{{Cite web |title=Amsterdamse renaissance in de stijl van Hendrick de Keyser |url=http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/renaiss3.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127014006/http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/renaiss3.html |archive-date=27 November 2007 |access-date=19 May 2008 |language=nl}}</ref> One of the most striking buildings designed by Hendrick de Keyser is the [[Westerkerk]]. In the 17th century [[baroque architecture]] became very popular, as it was elsewhere in Europe. This roughly coincided with Amsterdam's [[Dutch Golden Age|Golden Age]]. The leading architects of this style in Amsterdam were [[Jacob van Campen]], [[Philips Vingboons]] and [[Daniël Stalpaert|Daniel Stalpaert]].<ref name="holclass">{{Cite web |title=Hollands Classicisme |url=http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/holclass.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202200016/http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/holclass.html |archive-date=2 February 2007 |access-date=21 May 2008 |language=nl}}</ref>

[[File:Amsterdam_(NL),_Begijnhof_--_2015_--_7215-8.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Begijnhof, Amsterdam|Begijnhof]] is one of the oldest [[hofje]]s in Amsterdam.]]
[[File:Öffentliche Bibliothek und Konservatorium Amsterdam.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam]] and [[Conservatorium van Amsterdam]], two examples of 21st-century architecture in the centre of the city]]
Philip Vingboons designed splendid merchants' houses throughout the city. A famous building in [[baroque|baroque style]] in Amsterdam is the [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam|Royal Palace]] on [[Dam Square]]. Throughout the 18th century, Amsterdam was heavily influenced by [[Culture of France|French culture]]. This is reflected in the architecture of that period. Around 1815, architects broke with the baroque style and started building in different neo-styles.<ref name="neostijl">{{Cite web |title=Neo-stijlen |url=http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/neostijl.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819204630/http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/neostijl.html |archive-date=19 August 2007 |access-date=19 May 2008 |language=nl}}</ref> Most Gothic style buildings date from that era and are therefore said to be built in a [[Gothic Revival architecture|neo-gothic]] style. At the end of the 19th century, the [[Art Nouveau|Jugendstil]] or [[Art Nouveau]] style became popular and many new buildings were constructed in this architectural style. Since Amsterdam expanded rapidly during this period, new buildings adjacent to the city centre were also built in this style. The houses in the vicinity of the [[Museumplein|Museum Square]] in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid are an example of Jugendstil. The last style that was popular in Amsterdam before the [[Modern history|modern era]] was [[Art Deco]]. Amsterdam had its own version of the style, which was called the [[Amsterdam School|Amsterdamse School]]. Whole districts were built in this style, such as the ''Rivierenbuurt''.<ref name="aschool">{{Cite web |title=Amsterdamse School |url=http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/aschool.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027144316/http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/aschool.html |archive-date=27 October 2007 |access-date=21 May 2008 |language=nl}}</ref> A notable feature of the façades of buildings designed in Amsterdamse School is that they are highly decorated and ornate, with oddly shaped windows and doors.

The old city centre is the focal point of all the architectural styles before the end of the 19th century. Jugendstil and Georgian are mostly found outside the city centre in the neighbourhoods built in the early 20th century, although there are also some striking examples of these styles in the city centre. Most historic buildings in the city centre and nearby are houses, such as the famous merchants' houses lining the canals.

===Parks and recreational areas===
{{main|List of parks in Amsterdam|List of squares in Amsterdam}}
[[File:Amsterdam map indicating parks - 01.png|thumb|{{unbulleted list
| A: [[Vondelpark]]
| B: [[Beatrixpark]]
| C: [[Sarphatipark]]
| D: [[Oosterpark (Amsterdam)|Oosterpark]]
| E: [[Park Frankendael]]
| F: [[Rembrandtpark]]
| G: [[Westerpark (park)|Westerpark]]
| H: [[Flevopark]]
| I: [[Amsterdamse Bos]]
| J: [[Amstelpark]]
| K: [[Hortus Botanicus (Amsterdam)|Hortus Botanicus]]
| L: [[Wertheimerpark]]
| M: [[Martin Luther Kingpark]]
| N: [[Sloterpark]]
}}
]]

Amsterdam has many parks, open spaces, and squares throughout the city. The [[Vondelpark]], the largest park in the city, is located in the [[Amsterdam Oud-Zuid|Oud-Zuid]] neighbourhood and is named after the 17th-century Amsterdam author [[Joost van den Vondel]]. Yearly, the park has around 10&nbsp;million visitors. In the park is an open-air theatre, a playground, and several [[horeca]] facilities. In the [[Amsterdam-Zuid|Zuid]] borough, is the Beatrixpark, named after [[Beatrix of the Netherlands|Queen Beatrix]]. Between Amsterdam and [[Amstelveen]] is the [[Amsterdamse Bos]] ("Amsterdam Forest"), the largest recreational area in Amsterdam. Annually, almost 4.5&nbsp;million people visit the park, which has a size of {{convert|1000|ha}} and is approximately three times the size of [[Central Park]].<ref>[http://www.amsterdamsebos.amsterdam.nl/algemene_onderdelen/english_site Amsterdamse Bos – English site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100519151059/http://www.amsterdamsebos.amsterdam.nl/algemene_onderdelen/english_site |date=19 May 2010 }}. [[Government of Amsterdam|City of Amsterdam]]. Retrieved on 27 November 2008.</ref> The [[Amstelpark]] in the [[Amsterdam-Zuid|Zuid]] borough houses the Rieker windmill, which dates to 1636. Other parks include the [[Sarphatipark]] in the [[De Pijp]] neighbourhood, the [[Oosterpark (Amsterdam)|Oosterpark]] in the [[Amsterdam-Oost|Oost]] borough and the [[Westerpark (park)|Westerpark]] in the [[Westerpark (neighbourhood)|Westerpark]] neighbourhood. The city has three beaches: Nemo Beach, Citybeach "Het stenen hoofd" (Silodam), and Blijburg, all located in the Centrum borough.

The city has many open squares (''plein'' in Dutch). The namesake of the city as the site of the original dam, [[Dam Square]], is the main city square and has the [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam|Royal Palace]] and [[National Monument (Amsterdam)|National Monument]]. [[Museumplein]] hosts various museums, including the {{Lang|nl|[[Rijksmuseum]]|italic=no}}, [[Van Gogh Museum]], and [[Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam|Stedelijk Museum]]. Other squares include [[Rembrandtplein]], [[Muntplein, Amsterdam|Muntplein]], [[Nieuwmarkt]], [[Leidseplein]], [[Spui (Amsterdam)|Spui]] and [[Waterlooplein]]. Also, near Amsterdam is the [[Nekkeveld estate]] conservation project.