You’ve heard a lot of insane facts about Amsterdam. Most of them are related to the Red District, to the unmentionable plant and to the good life. But Amsterdam is much more than that and you should know it. Read the following 15 facts about Amsterdam and let yourself impressed by the magic that this city is.
15 Facts about Amsterdam
- Houses in Amsterdam are incredibly narrow. Why? Because people were taxed by the width of their houses. So in order to pay less, they decided to make their houses taller not larger. Smart, no?
- There are 75 museums in Amsterdam. Diversity is the word that defines these museums. They are dedicated to sex, hemp, chess, bags, funerals, beer or houseboats.
- You’ve been lied to all your life. XXX doesn’t stand for porn but for Amsterdam’s coat of arms which symbolizes the crosses of St. Andrew.
- There are 1,281 bridges in Amsterdam.
- Dutch people don’t really like to own curtains. This goes back to the weather in Holland. Since sunlight is a thing to be cherished here, people like to have the chance to get as much sun as possible (if necessary). Other people also believe that this custom is linked to the idea of keeping up the appearances.
- The Red Light District is one of the safest parts of the city and it is full of tourists most of the time.
- Originally, Amsterdam was a fishing village. It expanded rapidly and went through a Golden Age during the 16th century becoming what it is today.
- There are 881,000 bikes and 811,100 people in Amsterdam. More bikes than people? This sounds pretty interesting.
- English is the second official language in Amsterdam so you can be sure that you won’t get lost. Or at least you will know who to ask if you get lost.
- „De Poezenboot” used to be a normal houseboat. Now it is a cat shelter that houses over 50 cats and it has become a major touristic attraction.
- There are 165 canals in Amsterdam. All these add around 100 kilometers (60 miles).
- Every year, over 25,000 bicycles end up in the canals of Amsterdam, but only 8,000 are pulled out. What should we get out of this?
- Amsterdam hosts more than 2,500 houseboats. Most of them are occupied by residents, but there are also lots of them available for rent. So if you are in the mood to enjoy a romantic night you know where to go now.
- If you didn’t understand it already, locals are crazy about bikes. They use them to go everywhere: to school, work, the beach, etc.
- There are 20,000,000 tourists who visit Amsterdam yearly. Do you know that this number is 20 times higher than the number of locals?
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