Dam Square, Amsterdam

Dam Square was once a popular place in the sixties with the flower power people and hippies camping out on the square. Today the square is one of the focal points of the city. The square is the physical centre of the city ever since the dam was built to keep the Zuiderzee (Southern sea) out.

In the middle of the square is the National Monument, dedicated to the Dutch soldiers and members of the resistance who died during World War Two. On the west side of the square is Royal Palace

Now how come it is more interesting to see someone feeding birds in Amsterdam than in the USA? I guess it was because he was so handsome. Dam Square was a nice place to catch some sun on this frosty April day.

As I said at the 'Squares of Amsterdam', Dam is a big concrete square, which most of the pass by when walking in the city centre.

It isn't the nicest square in my opinion, but it is kind of a central place of the city.

You can often(?) see some entertainers on the square, playing music or just standing there and waiting to get photographed, after donation, of course (e.g. that orange fellow on the picture).

Another artist gave cause to much amusement. Against the backdrop of the royal palace he was also a great sight to see.

The Royal Palace (Koninklijk Paleis) was built between 1648 and 1665 when in fact The Netherlands was not even a monarchy then.
The building was meant to be the new town hall until king Louis Napoleon changed it to a palace in 1808 when The Netherlands was part of the French empire. Some 7 years later The Netherlands became a monarchy under King William I.

The design is by Jacob van Campen and Daniel Stalpaert. After the Treaty of Munster in 1648 there was such euforia that the grandest plan for the new town hall was realised.

At the time such grandeur was unknown in Europe and it was the largest governmental building in the Europe of that time. It was a symbol of the glory and wealth of The Netherlands at the peak of its power.

Next to the Royal Palace is the Nieuwekerk, the coronation church of dutch royalty. This is only new to the oudekerk (old Church). Of particular interest are the magnificent carved oak chancel, the bronze choir screen, massive organ and stained glass windows. There is no service in this church anymore. Admission fees vary.

Dam square is such a place where people meet and if you have not visited Dam square in Amsterdam then you have sen nothing. In old times it use to be the original market place where the DAM was built on the River Amstel.

There are a lot of different street performers up and down Damrak and into Dam Square.
As you walk along you'll never know what type of performance you will experience next.

We woke up on a crisp autumn morning and opened up the windows in our room. The sounds of the square filled the air. Then I noticed the sound of bagpipes dancing into our room. The song was Amazing Grace. We looked at each other and decided our 1st mission of the day would be to locate those pipes. We found Steve the Bagpipe Guy and had to stop and chat with him. We told him how much we enjoyed listening to his music from our room. He is a bit of a close talker and he took a real shining to Moo. As we walked away he played Amazing Grace.

No matter who is performing, take a little time to stop and enjoy. Tips are always welcome.

Sometimes there will be a fair/carnival on Dam Square with several fun amusement rides. One is the huge ferris wheel which is very nice to ride at night and see the city all lit up and it can be quite a fun experience.