Royal Palace of Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Royal Palace is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament. The palace was built as the Town Hall of the City of Amsterdam and was opened as such on 29 July 1655 by Cornelis de Graeff, the political and social leader of Amsterdam. It is now called as the royal palace and used by the monarch for entertaining and official functions during state visits and other official receptions, such as New Year receptions. The award ceremonies of the Erasmus Prize, of the Silver Carnation, of the Royal Awards for Painting, and of the Prince Claus Award are also held in the palace.

The palace was built by Jacob van Campen, who took control of the construction project in 1648. It was built on 13,659 wooden piles and cost 8.5 million gulden. A yellowish sandstone from Bentheim in Germany was used for the entire building. The stone has darkened considerably in the course of time. Marble was the chosen material for the interior.

Jacob van Campen was inspired by Roman administrative palaces. He drew inspiration from the public buildings of Rome. He wanted to build a new capitol for the Amsterdam burgomasters who thought of themselves as the consuls of the new Rome of the North. The technical implementation was looked after by the town construction master Daniël Stalpaert. The sculptures were executed by Artus Quellijn.

On the marble floor of the central hall there are two maps of the world with a celestial hemisphere. The Western and Eastern hemispheres are shown on the maps. The hemispheres detail the area of Amsterdam's colonial influence. The terrestrial hemispheres were made in the mid-18th century. They replaced an earlier pair made in the late 1650s. The originals showed the regions explored by the Dutch East India Company's ships in the first half of the 17th century. This feature may have been inspired by the map of the Roman Empire that had been engraved on marble and placed in the Porticus Vipsania, a public building in ancient Rome.

On top of the palace is a large domed cupola, topped by a weather vane in the form of a cog ship. This ship is a symbol of Amsterdam. Just underneath the dome there are a few windows. From here one could see the ships arrive and leave the harbour.

Paintings inside include works by Govert Flinck (who died before finishing a cycle of twelve huge canvases), Jacob Jordaens, Jan Lievens and Ferdinand Bol. Rembrandt's largest work, The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis was commissioned for the building, but after hanging for some months was returned to him; the remaining fragment is now in Stockholm.

In its time the building was one of many candidates for the title of the Eighth Wonder of the World. Also, for a long time it was the largest administrative building in Europe.

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Details

Founded: 1655
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Netherlands

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Ann K (12 months ago)
Lavish, extravagant interior, the audio tour provided so much information about the history and significance of palace and the rooms. The building architecture is also quite beautiful and it is always a happening place at the same square. It was a very informative and nice visit.
Quynh Nguyen (2 years ago)
Should buy tickets in advance. Not so crowded, the staff were helpful, you can get a free audio guide. The rules here are quite strict though, you can’t take videos only pictures, you can’t bring your bags inside unless it’s very small, can’t lean on the walls (for some reason for me), and there are a lot of staffs standing around staring at you, but it’s ok I guess. Very beautiful architecture, the audio guide is detailed and interesting. Take more than 1 hour to complete the tour.
Anne Billinghurst (2 years ago)
A must see site. Less crowded than expected (end of summer holidays). So much beautiful artwork. I particularly loved the great hall. Note, only a small portion of the palace is open to the public, but still plenty to see. The self guided tour recommended. Expect to take 2+ hrs to view properly.
Jacinta Sakala (2 years ago)
I had a very special day at the Royal Palace. It's not only beautiful but filled with so much history. Definitely more than worth the small entry fee. I would definitely happily go there again with another person as this was a solo trip ?
Danielle Mitchell (2 years ago)
Simply gorgeous. And above all, it is well run and efficient. Free audio tours with amazing detail and the option for a short or long tour depending on your schedule. A proper treat, and not simply focusing on the royal history, but the full history of the building.
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