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Dam Square
This isn't just a square - it's a giant lid covering the river that created Amsterdam! Way back in 1270, brave builders constructed the very first dam right here in the Amstel River, and that's literally how Amsterdam got its name - "dam in the Amstel!" But here's the super cool secret - that river water is STILL flowing underneath your feet right now, rushing through hidden tunnels beneath the cobblestones! And get this - the fancy Royal Palace behind you is balancing on 13,659 wooden tree trunks that were hammered deep into the mushy ground! The original houses from 800 years ago? They're buried five whole meters below where you're standing - that's deeper than a giraffe is tall!
Did You Know?
- The name 'Amsterdam' literally means 'dam on the Amstel River,' and Dam Square marks the exact spot where, around 1270, a dam was built to connect settlements on both sides of the Amstel, eventually forming the city’s first market square and giving the city its name.
- Beneath Dam Square, water from the Amstel River still flows through a hidden culvert under the National Monument, the Bijenkorf department store, and the old stock exchange building, a subtle reminder of the square’s watery origins even though the original dam is long gone.
- The National Monument, unveiled in 1956 as a memorial to Dutch World War II victims, contains soil from every Dutch province and from the former Dutch East Indies, and its rear features the crests of all the provinces—a poignant, symbolic detail often missed by visitors.