Amsterdam’s Royal Palace Re-Opens

After years of being closed for renovations, Amsterdam’s Royal Palace finally reopened its doors to visitors this year.  The irony is, now that the interior is open to visitors, the exterior is completely covered in scaffolding.  Still, a visit to the Royal Palace is very interesting, especially if you bear in mind that when the palace was built, it was actually the city hall.

When the Royal Palace was built in the 17th Century, the Netherlands was a republic so the building was actually Amsterdam’s city hall.  The building is very extravagant for a city hall because the 17th Century was Amsterdam’s Golden Age.  The city made a fortune with the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company), which sailed around the world moving goods and people, and the lavish city hall and canal side mansions are evidence of this success.  Even Amsterdam’s post office was exceptionally ornate, and was conveniently located behind the city hall.  Yes, today’s Magna Plaza was the post office of the Golden Age.

The Town Hall was designed by Jacob van Campen, and the interior paintings and sculptures were made by some of the most distinguished artists of the time.  Not bad for a city hall; in fact, when Louis Napoleon, the brother of  Napoleon Bonaparte, became king of Holland, he converted the city hall into his royal palace.  At the time, Dam Square was filled with buildings, but Louis wanted a better view and had them knocked down, creating the modern Dam Square.

Today the Queen resides in the Hague, but the Royal palace is still used for special occasions and when the Queen is in Amsterdam.  When you visit the palace you will see clues that indicate the palace is still in use, including flat screen TVs and modern telephones.