History
Resourceful beginnings
When the last millennium was still quite young, a handful of adventurers came floating down the river Amstel in hollowed-out logs. Out of the marshlands and swamps surrounding the Amstel River, a structure of dams and dikes were forged - the first of which is marked by the Dam square at the heart of the city today. These canny 'Aemstelledammers' began exacting toll money from the passing beer and herring traders of the roaring Eastern Sea Trade of the Baltics.
Golden Age
By the end of the fifteenth century, the development of the city was rapid. In 1602, the Dutch East India Company was founded and the result was a period of unprecedented boom and prosperity causing the 17th century to become known as the ‘Golden Age’. It was during this period that the city’s canal system was developed. The art scene also flourished at this time and Amsterdam became a thriving cultural city leaving a legacy of Rembrandt, van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer and Jan Steen.
Industrialisation to modern days
At the end of the 17th century, the Amsterdam economy came to a standstill, resulting in a period of decline and increasing poverty. But with the construction of the North Sea Canal (1876), Amsterdam finally had a direct connection to the sea. From that moment on, steamships became part of everyday life in Amsterdam's port – a turning point for the city that created a new period of prosperity thanks to the trade with the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). The early 20th century was marked with turmoil and hardship for Amsterdam’s population during the crisis years and two world wars.
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