A report on Amsterdam metropolitan area, Amsterdam and Haarlem

The Oude Kerk was consecrated in 1306 AD.

Amsterdam citizens celebrating the Peace of Münster, 30 January 1648. Painting by Bartholomeus van der Helst

Courtyard of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange by Emanuel de Witte, 1653. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange was the first stock exchange to introduce continuous trade in the early 17th century.

The City Hall on the Grote Markt, built in the 14th century, replacing the Count's castle, after this had burnt down partially. The remainders were given to the city.

View of Vijzelstraat looking towards the Muntplein, 1891

A sketch of the siege of Haarlem seen from the North, with Het Dolhuys on the right, and the river Spaarne on the left

Photochrom of Amsterdam's Dam Square at the beginning of the 20th century

A map of Haarlem around 1550. The city is completely surrounded by a city wall and defensive moat. In the North (top), at a fork in the road, the complex known as Het Dolhuys can be seen. In the south-west corner on the lower left, the city bleaching grounds can be seen. Notice the near-square shape of the city: this was based on the ancient plan of Jerusalem.

A map of Haarlem after the fire in 1578 by Thomas Thomasz. The damage across the city can still be seen two years later.

People celebrating the liberation of the Netherlands at the end of World War II on 8 May 1945

The legend of the Haarlem shield, painting (c. 1630) by Pieter de Grebber in the City Hall

The 17th-century Canals of Amsterdam were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2010, contributing to Amsterdam's fame as the "Venice of the North". Along with De Wallen, the canals are the focal-point for tourists in the city.

A map of Haarlem in 1646, before Salomon de Bray's ambitious northwards expansion plan was executed. North is to the left. The Houtmarkt has been built in the north east, and the Haarlemmerport is visible, as well as the Old Men's Almshouse, which nowadays houses the Frans Hals Museum.

Satellite picture of Amsterdam and North Sea Canal

The Amsterdamse Poort, former gateway to the city from Amsterdam, is one of the few visible traces left of the old city wall.

Grote Markt of Haarlem, c. 1670–90, by Cornelis Beelt

Large-scale map of the city centre of Amsterdam, including sightseeing markers,.

The Grote Markt in 1696, painting by Gerrit Adriaensz. Berckheyde

Nieuwendammerdijk en Buiksloterdijk, Amsterdam-Noord, winter 2010

Many government-owned buildings are national heritage sites, such as the local police headquarters located on the Koudenhorn 2. Originally built as the Dutch Reformed "Diaconie" (poor house and orphanage) in 1768, it was built to house up to 900 people, indicating the extent of the economic crisis in Haarlem that had resulted from losing shipping power to Amsterdam.

The Westerkerk in the Centrum borough, one of Amsterdam's best-known churches

A map of Haarlem in 1827. The city walls have been torn down to use as building materials for city expansion.

A 1538 painting by Cornelis Anthonisz showing a bird's-eye view of Amsterdam. The famous Grachtengordel had not yet been established.

The Haarlemmerhout in Haarlem is the oldest park designed for public access in the Netherlands. It is said that Napoleon's army carved their initials in these trees.

The Villa Welgelegen, built in the 18th century, is the current government house of the province of North Holland.

A typesetter at the Joh. Enschedé printing shop (was located behind the St. Bavochurch) in 1884, by the American artist Charles Frederic Ulrich.

Cotton mills in Haarlem in the 19th century

The Egelantiersgracht lies west of the Grachtengordel, in the Jordaan neighbourhood.

A replica of the Arend, one of two locomotives built by R. B. Longridge and Company for the Haarlem-Amsterdam railway line in the 1830s.

The Scheepvaarthuis, by architects Johan van der Mey, Michel de Klerk, Piet Kramer is characteristic of the architecture of the Amsterdam School.

This Gaper is located on the front of "Van der Pigge", a chemist's that declined to move for Vroom & Dreesmann's new department store in 1932.

The Begijnhof is one of the oldest hofjes in Amsterdam.

"Man in front of a firing squad", memorial by Mari Andriessen to commemorate 15 innocent victims chosen at random who were shot there by German occupational forces on 7 March 1945, Dreef, Haarlem

The Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam and Conservatorium van Amsterdam, two examples of 21st-century architecture in the centre of the city

Pipe organ at Haarlem's Sint-Bavokerk. Mozart once played this organ.

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world

Saint Bavo saves Haarlem from the Kennemers. Dated 1673 but showing legend from 1274. In the background the Sint-Bavokerk (Grote Kerk) can be seen.

The Zuidas, the city's main business district

Boats give tours of the city, such as this one in front of the EYE Film Institute Netherlands.

Stadsschouwburg, theater on the Wilsonplein

De Wallen, Amsterdam's Red-light district, offers activities such as legal prostitution and a number of coffee shops that sell cannabis. It is one of the main tourist attractions.

An Amsterdammer waits for a traffic light to change at the Muntplein in the heart of Amsterdam.

Haarlem Baseball Week 2006 at the Pim Mulier Stadium

The Rijksmuseum houses Rembrandt's The Night Watch.

View of Haarlem with Bleaching Fields by Jacob van Ruisdael (c. undefined 1665)

The Van Gogh Museum houses the world's largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and letters.

The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is an international museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art and design.

The Street of Donkere Spaarne near Spaarne River

Coldplay performing at the Amsterdam Arena, 2016

Lange Brug (Long Bridge), in popular speech also known as "de verfroller" ("the paint roller").

The Concertgebouw or Royal Concert Hall houses performances of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and other musical events.

Haarlem railway station, built in 1906, one of the oldest train stations in the Netherlands. It replaced the original station at the Oude Weg dating from 1839, which was one of the first two stations in the Netherlands as part of the oldest Dutch railway line between Amsterdam and Haarlem.

Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam's best-known theatre

One of the decorated boats participating in the 2013 Canal Parade of the Amsterdam Gay Pride

Femke Halsema has been the Mayor of Amsterdam since 2018.

King Willem-Alexander, Princess Beatrix, and Queen Máxima greeting Amsterdammers from the Royal Palace of Amsterdam during Willem-Alexanders inauguration in 2013

The Amsterdam Metro is a mixed subway and above ground rapid transit system consisting of five lines.

Amsterdam Centraal station, the city's main train station

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ranks as Europe's third-busiest airport for passenger traffic.

Police bicyclist crossing a bridge over the Prinsengracht

The Agnietenkapel Gate at the University of Amsterdam, founded in 1632 as the Athenaeum Illustre

The Amsterdam metropolitan area (Metropoolregio Amsterdam) is the city region around the city of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands.

- Amsterdam metropolitan area

Amsterdam (, , , lit. The Dam on the River Amstel) is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands; with a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban area and 2,480,394 in the metropolitan area.

- Amsterdam

Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe; it is also part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area.

- Haarlem

Municipalities of Aalsmeer, Almere, Amstelveen, Amsterdam, Beemster, Beverwijk, Blaricum, Bloemendaal, Diemen, Edam-Volendam, Gooise Meren, Haarlem, Haarlemmermeer, Heemskerk, Heemstede, Hilversum, Huizen, Landsmeer, Laren, Lelystad, Oostzaan, Ouder-Amstel, Purmerend, Uitgeest, Uithoorn, Velsen, Waterland, Weesp, Wijdemeren, Wormerland, Zaanstad and Zandvoort

- Amsterdam metropolitan area

It is situated about 20 km west of Amsterdam and near the coastal dunes.

- Haarlem

Amsterdam is located in the Western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland, the capital of which is not Amsterdam, but rather Haarlem.

- Amsterdam

2 related topics with Alpha

Netherlands

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Country located in Northwestern Europe with overseas territories in the Caribbean.

The name of the historic County of Holland is currently used as a pars pro toto for the Netherlands.

Oak figurine found in Willemstad (4500 BC)

Franks, Frisians and Saxons (710s AD) with Traiecturm and Dorestad in the middle

Rorik of Dorestad, Viking ruler of Friesland (romantic 1912 depiction)

A Medieval Tombe of the Brabantian knight Arnold van der Sluijs

Map of the Habsburg dominions. From 1556 the dynasty's lands in the Low Countries were retained by the Spanish Habsburgs.

Dutch East India Company factory in Hugli-Chuchura, Mughal Bengal by Hendrik van Schuylenburgh, 1665

Winter landscape with skaters near the city of Kampen by Hendrick Avercamp (1620s)

Map of the Dutch colonial empire. Light green: territories administered by or originating from territories administered by the Dutch East India Company; dark green: the Dutch West India Company. In yellow are the territories occupied later, during the 19th century.

The submission of Diponegoro to General De Kock at the end of the Java War in 1830. Painting by Nicolaas Pieneman

Rotterdam after German air raids in 1940

Former Prime Ministers Wim Kok, Dries van Agt, Piet de Jong, Ruud Lubbers and Jan Peter Balkenende with Prime Minister Mark Rutte, in 2011

The Christmas flood of 1717 was the result of a northwesterly storm that resulted in the death of thousands.

Map illustrating areas of the Netherlands below sea level

The Delta Works are located in the provinces of South Holland and Zeeland.

Common seals on Terschelling, a Wadden Sea island

The Binnenhof, where the lower and upper houses of the States General meet

De Wallen, Amsterdam's red-light district, offers activities such as legal prostitution and a number of coffeeshops that sell marijuana, symbolising the Dutch political culture and tradition of tolerance.

The Netherlands has a culture of respectful and friendly debate. From left to right, members of the House of Representatives Sander de Rouwe (CDA), Ineke van Gent (GL), Han ten Broeke (VVD), Kees Verhoeven (D66) and Farshad Bashir (SP), 2010

Provinces and territories of the Netherlands

The Peace Palace (Vredespaleis), in The Hague

General Onno Eichelsheim is the current Chief of Defence.

Zr. Ms. Holland, a Royal Netherlands Navy offshore patrol vessel

Historical GDP per capita development (Our World in Data)

A proportional representation of Netherlands exports, 2019

The Netherlands is part of a monetary union, the Eurozone (dark blue), and the EU single market.

Natural gas concessions in the Netherlands. Today the Netherlands accounts for more than 25% of all natural gas reserves in the EU.

The Groningen gas field whose discovery in 1959 transformed the Dutch economy, generating €159 billion in revenue since the mid-1970s.

Population of the Netherlands from 1900 to 2000

Population pyramid of the Netherlands in 2017

In Rotterdam almost half the population has an immigrant background.

Population density in the Netherlands by municipality. The largest urban area, the Randstad is clearly visible along the west coast.

Knowledge of foreign languages in the Netherlands, in per cent of the population over the age of 15, in 2006

An international primary school in The Hague

View on the Utrecht Science Park of Utrecht University. The building in the centre is the library.

Portrait of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723), known as "the father of microbiology"

A regional train operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS)

Bike passage at Rotterdam Centraal station

Dutch people in orange celebrating King's Day in Amsterdam, 2017

Johan Cruyff Arena, the largest Dutch concert venue

Dutch star football players Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie during a game with the Netherlands against Denmark at Euro 2012

New Amsterdam as it appeared in 1664. Under British rule it became known as New York.

Eustachius De Lannoy of the Dutch East India Company surrenders to Maharaja Marthanda Varma of the Indian Kingdom of Travancore after the Battle of Colachel. (Depiction at Padmanabhapuram Palace)

A Dutch doctor vaccinating Indonesian patients

The four largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.

The first great siege was Alba's effort to capture Haarlem and thereby cut Holland in half.

The Dutch national train network also includes the HSL-Zuid, a high-speed line between the Amsterdam metropolitan area and the Belgian border for trains running from Paris and London to the Netherlands.

Randstad

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Bubble map showing the population sizes of larger towns and cities in the Randstad circa 2012

A RandstadRail LRV between Zoetermeer and The Hague

The Randstad ("Rim" or "Edge" City) is a roughly crescent-shaped conurbation in the central-western Netherlands, consisting primarily of the four largest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht); their suburbs, and many towns in between, that all grew and merged into each other, containing almost half the country's population.

It encompasses both the Amsterdam metropolitan area and Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area.

The Randstad's main cities are Almere, Amsterdam, Delft, Dordrecht, Haarlem, The Hague, Leiden, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Zoetermeer.