Since 1648, this imposing building has been watching over Amsterdam’s city centre like an elegant bodyguard.Here’s the instant tour.
Blog Amsterdam Royal Palace
Take a walk anywhere near Dam Square, and you’ll notice it: the Royal Palace. Since 1648, this imposing building has been watching over Amsterdam’s city centre like an elegant bodyguard.
Here’s the instant tour. The palace was built in the 17th century as the city’s new town hall. Its purpose? An all-in-one administration centre, meeting venue, court of justice…and prison.
In the early 19th century—Napoleonic times—French King of the Netherlands Napoleon III resided in the palace. During the Second World War, the palace’s Dutch caretaker prevented the palace from becoming an enemy headquarters. How? By warning occupiers of the cold, saying anyone who lived there would freeze their boots off!
In 2002, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima married—and posed for their now-famous wedding scene on the Royal Palace’s balcony. (Their civil wedding ceremony took place at the Beurs van Berlage.)
Recently, Amsterdam restored the palace to its original grandeur. You can visit the palace when it is not in use for official purposes. What will you see? Impressive architecture, inspired by the Romans and the Renaissance.
© Photograph: Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam
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