#644 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands

The Muntplein (literally "mint square") is a square in the centre of Amsterdam. The square is in fact a bridge - the widest bridge in Amsterdam - which crosses the Singel canal at the point where it flows into the Amstel river. All bridges in Amsterdam are numbered, and the Muntplein carries the number 1.

Muntplein is named after the Munttoren (or simply Munt) tower which stands on this square. This tower was once part of one of the three main medieval city gates. In the 17th century, it temporarily served as a mint, hence the name. The guard house building attached to the tower is not the original medieval structure but a late 19th-century fantasy. An underpass was added to the building during a 1938–1939 renovation.

The name "Muntplein" dates from 1917. The square was originally known as Schapenplein ("sheep square") and, from 1877 to 1917, as Sophiaplein (after Queen Sophia, first wife of William III).

The square is a bustling intersection of six streets. It forms the southern end of the Kalverstraat shopping street and the major street Rokin. The eastern end of the floating flower market (Bloemenmarkt) along the Singel canal is directly south of the square. Six tram lines (4, 9, 14, 16, 24 and 25) stop at Muntplein, but only when travelling south.

The building on Muntplein at the intersection of the Kalverstraat and Rokin is an early design by prominent Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage.

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The Singel is a canal in Amsterdam which encircled the city in the Middle Ages. It served as a moat around the city until 1585, when Amsterdam expanded beyond the Singel. The canal runs from the IJ bay, near Central Station, to the Muntplein square, where it meets the Amstel river. It is now the inner-most canal in Amsterdam's semicircular ring of canals.

The canal should not be confused with the Singelgracht canal, which became the outer limit of the city during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th Century.

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Property No #1349

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2010

Date of Issue: March 26, 2012 | Europa CEPT 2012 'Visit ...'

Thank you, Jan !

Sent on: May 30, 2014

Received on: June 5, 2014

#643 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands

Amsterdam is the capital city of and the most populous within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its status as the Dutch capital is mandated by the Constitution of the Netherlands though it is not the seat of the Dutch government, which is at The Hague (Den Haag). Amsterdam has a population of 810,909 within the city-proper, 1,108,297 in the urban region and 1,571,234 in the greater metropolitan area. The city is located in the province of North Holland (Noord Holland) in the west of the country. It comprises much of the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, with a population of approximately 7 million.

Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin as a dam of the river Amstel. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century), a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading center for finance and diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were planned and built. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

As the commercial capital of the Netherlands and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group. The city is also the cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and 7 of the world's top 500 companies, including Philips and ING, are based in the city. In 2012, Amsterdam was ranked 2nd best city to live by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and 12th globally on quality of living by Mercer. The city was previously ranked 3rd in innovation by 2thinknow in the Innovation Cities Index 2009.

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world, is located in the city center.Amsterdam's main attractions, including its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, Amsterdam Museum, its red-light district, and its many cannabis coffee shops draw more than 3.66 million international visitors annually.

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Canals of Amsterdam are listed as UNESCO WHS.

Property No #1349

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2010

Date of Issue: March 26, 2012 | Europa 2012 'Visit ...'

Thank you, Jan !

Sent on: May 30, 2014

Received on: June 5, 2014

#640 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands

Grachtengordel (English: The Amsterdam Canal District) is a neighborhood in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The seventeenth-century canals of Amsterdam, located in the center of Amsterdam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in August 2010. The area around the city's main canals - Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsensgracht - is an international icon of urban planning and architecture, that is still intact after four centuries.

The area is known for its small bridges going over the canals and 17th-century canal homes. The Anne Frank House is located in the Grachtengordel neighborhood.

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Westerkerk ("Western church") is a Dutch Protestant church in central Amsterdam. It is next to Amsterdam's Jordaan district, on the bank of the Prinsengracht canal.

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Prinsengracht (Prince's Canal) is the fourth and the longest of the main canals in Amsterdam. It is named after the Prince of Orange. Most of the canal houses along it were built during the Dutch Golden Age of the United Provinces. The bridges over the Prinsengracht canal connect with the streets in the Jordaan.

Notable buildings along Prinsengracht include the Noorderkerk (Northern Church), the Noordermarkt (Northern Market), Anne Frank House, the Westerkerk (Western Church, Amsterdam's tallest church) with the Homomonument (Gay Monument), which actually faces Keizersgracht.

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Property No #1349

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2010

Date of Issue: April 22, 2014 | Europa 2014 'National Music Instruments'

Thank you, Jan !

Sent on: May 30, 2014

Received on: June 4, 2014

#360 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has more than one hundred kilometres of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. The 17th-century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010.

Brouwersgracht is a canal in the city centre of Amsterdam and is part of the canal belt connecting the Singel, Herengracht, Keizergracht and Prinsengracht and marks the northern border of the canal belt. The canal served as a site for ships returning from Asia with spices and silks, therefore Brouwersgracht had many warehouses and storage depots for the ships inventories. Breweries were also prevalent in the area due to the access to fresh water shipments. Today the warehouses are now apartments, some of the most expensive in Amsterdam. Houseboats also are seen in the canal. In 2007, Brouwersgracht was voted the most beautiful street in Amsterdam by readers of Het Parool, a local daily newspaper.
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Property No #1349

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2010

Thank you, Ingrid !

Sent on: October 1, 2013

Received on: October 3, 2013