Author Description

Welcome to a city that is exciting, beautiful, historic, fun and fascinating. Welcome to the beating heart of a country that though small, for a long time managed to be a world power, beating such countries as England, France, Portugal and Spain. Welcome to a city that for a time was the most liberal place on earth. Welcome to Amsterdam. Throughout the seventeenth century, when most of the center of Amsterdam was built, the city was a global center of innovation. Most people don't know this, but it was, in fact, the seat of the very first industrial revolution - one not powered by coal, but by wind. It was also here that stocks and joint ventures were invented, with the city being home to the oldest stock exchange in the world. More recently, after it lost its position of global power and was no longer the wealthiest city in the world, the city managed to reinvent itself as a center of liberal policies and open-minded ideas. For most people the word 'Amsterdam' was, for a long time, synonymous with pot, parties and prostitution. But it went much further than that. Amsterdam was one of the first cities to offer free Methadone to its heroin addicts, to wean them of their addiction and to start up a needle exchange program to prevent the spread of AIDS. For a long time was the gay capital of Europe, and had 'a table, a chair and a bed' policy, which meant that any empty building, could be squatted (or occupied legally, but without needing to pay rent) if you put a chair, a table and (you guessed it) a bed inside. All these policies made it a Mecca for artists, free thinkers and the kooky, which all left their indelible mark on the city and its people. Though it is no longer quite as liberal as all that, it is still an open-minded and open-hearted place, which has the dual advantages of both being adventurous and safe, modern and ancient - making it suitable for the young and old, mainstream and offbeat alike.