The Canals of Amsterdam
Originally the canals of Amsterdam had several functions:
• they allowed for goods to be delivered from the harbor (and the markets at Dam square and Nieuwmarkt) to storage facilities and stores throughout thecity.
• they were used as defence moats
• they served to guide the water of the Amstel River through its former delta.
Nowadays its most popular use is recreation.
Taking a canal tour is one of Amsterdam’s top tourist attractions.
Swimming in the canals is discouraged — if not outright prohibited. People do fall in, though. Those who live to tell about it are always taken to a hospital for a tetanus shot.
Note that many of the houseboats lining the canals are not yet hooked up to the city’s sewer system.
Amsterdam — Old Church and New Church
The Old Church is located in an area of Amsterdam known as the Old Side. The New Church is located in the New Side area. But the New Side is actually older than the Old Side.
Old Amsterdam in colorized photos
Photochroms of Amsterdam taken between 1890 and about 1900. Collected by the Library of Congress. No known copyright.
According to Wikipedia, “Photochrom … prints are colorized images produced from black and white photographic negatives via the direct photographic transfer of a negative onto lithographic printing plates. The process is properly considered a photographic variant of chromolithography, a broader term referring to color lithography in general.”
Amsterdam marketing video
This video is slightly dated — but interesting nevertheless.