20 CURIOSITIES OF AMSTERDAM

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The capital of Holland always seemed to us one of the great jewels of northern Europe, and after our last visit we have it even clearer. But not only is it a perfect getaway, with its canals and charming neighborhoods, but it is a very interesting city. In this post we will tell you 20 curiosities of Amsterdam (and Holland).

If you want more information, visit our GUIDE TO A TRIP TO AMSTERDAM

1. Although Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, theadministrative heart and politician of the country is in Hague.

2. Virtually everyone in Holland speaks english (That's how nice it is!) especially young people. You could say they are almost bilingual.

3 Amsterdam is one of the cities with more museums in the world: There are hundreds, with Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum being the most loved and visited.

4. The stairs of the dutch houses They are usually quite chungas: they are so steep that when you lower them, if you suffer from vertigo, you will have a very bad time. And to finish off the steps are very narrow, I have the little piece almost did not fit, I do not even want to imagine these people as they manage. The reason? Apparently very practical: to save space!

5. The most curious thing about houses, however, is seen from outside: we talk about the sloping suuuper facades forward, it seems that they will be defeated from one moment to another. They are built in this way to allow furniture and other objects to be moved in the removals, since it is impossible to put them down the stairs. And how do they do it? In the upper part of the buildings you will see a hook: through it, thanks to a pulley system, the load is lifted to the window it touches. The facade tilts so that the hanging objects do not flirt against it!

6. Continuing with the facades of the houses, notice because in many you will see some tiles with the profession of the ancient inhabitants of the building. It was not until Luis Bonaparte when he began putting numbers on the streets.

7. The Dutch are very tall... in fact they are so tall that men measure 1.85 meters on average.

8. In the Singel Street 7 is the narrowest house in the world: It is only 1 meter wide. Although it has a trap, inside it is much wider than it seems. But if you look, all the buildings in Amsterdam are very narrow, this is because in the past people had to pay taxes depending on the size of the facade!

9. Each April 27 the city (and the country) dresses up orange, the color of the monarchy, to celebrate the King's Day. It is probably the most interesting date to visit Amsterdam.

10. Amsterdam is known as "the Venice of the North" thanks to its almost 400 channels: The entire city is surrounded by water and this gives it a unique atmosphere. It also has more than 1,200 bridges (about 800 are in the center of the city). By the way, do not leave without taking a walk through the channels, it is cheap and allows you to have another perspective.

11. One of the typical dishes most loved by locals is a sandwich with herring raw and onion

12. If you look at the windows of the houses, you will rarely see curtains and it is that the Dutch almost do not use it.

13. It is worldwide known that Amsterdam (and the Netherlands) have a Very tolerant policy towards soft drugs. The city is full of coffeeshops, places where you can buy and consume marijuana. In this post we tell you more about the subject.

14. Did you know that NY in its origins it was called New Amsterdam? Yes, the Big Apple was founded by Dutch.

15. In the Amsterdam flag can be seen three XXX. There is no single theory that explains it, there are those who say they refer to San Andres, the patron of the city, crucified on an X-shaped cross. Others believe he believes that the "XXX" refers to 3 disasters that hit Amsterdam (fires, floods and plague).

16. Every year some 10,000 bicycles end up in the canals of the city (there are many more bikes than cars ... it is the most common means of transport).

17. By the way, the Napoleon's brother after being named king of the country, tried to learn dutch and in his first speech he screwed up: he was mistakenly defined as “konijn” of Holland (rabbit). Actually I wanted to say "konink" (king). At least XD tried.

18. The prostitution is legal and completely regulated. If you walk through the red light district you will run into the famous shop windows where the girls offer their services. The name of the neighborhood comes just from the little red lights that they usually put in shop windows.

19. If you want to see windmills, it is best to approach the town of Zaanse Schans that is full of them. Few know, however, that 8 mills are maintained in Amsterdam, one of which is… a craft brewery (Brouwerij 't IJ).

20. If you are introduced to a Dutchman, remember that there, when greeting each other, 3 kisses are given (and start on the right).