The Royal Palace is almost certainly Amsterdam’s greatest teller of tales. Though it was once known as “Eighth Wonder of the World”. It is hard to imagine it when one visits the Palace and views it from outside. The gray-stained building with its aura of loneliness highlighted by the fact that it is one of the city’s few freestanding buildings was built between 1648 and 1665 as the largest nonreligious building on the planet, and that it is still used by the royal family for the highest of state occasions. It is quite difficult to grasp the fact that this palace was actually built as a mere city hall - although one for a city drunk with cockiness for having created in a mere 100 years the richest and busiest harbor in the world.
As the building was built, artists and sculptors with such immortal names as Ferdinand Bol, Govert Flinck, and Jan Lievens were called in for the decorating. In the building’s public entrance hall, known as the Burgerzaal, the world was placed quite literally at one’s feet. There are two maps inlaid in the marble floor which show Amsterdam as the center of the world, and the heavens painted above also present the city as the center of the universe.
When King Louis Napoleon came to Amsterdam in 1808 he had the city hall turned into a royal palace. The large collection of Empire style furniture, chandeliers and clocks dates from this period. The palace is still used for official functions by her Majesty the Queen. In the summer the palace is open to the public.
King Louis Napoleon turned the city hall into a royal palace. The galleries were provided with wooden partitioning to create additional rooms. A balcony was added to the facade to meet royal public relations requirements. Splendid Empire furniture - still part of the collection of the palace today - served to modernize the interior decoration. In the course of the 20th century much work was done to the building. The modifications made by Louis Napoleon’s were reversed and the palace was restored to its original state of a government building based on classical models. Since the 1960 restoration the building has been open to the public, though on a limited scale.
The dome is of the Palace is crowned by a weather vane in the shape of the oldest version of the Amsterdam coat of arms, the cargo ship. The central dome afforded a fine view of the IJ and the arrivals and departures of the many ships. A notable aspect of the building is the lack of a conspicuous main entrance. Seven unadorned arches at street level without any steps give access to the building, indicating that the town hall belonged to everybody.
It can be said that the exterior of the building is austere and restrained in character; the interior may well be called amazing as well as dazzling. Jacob van Campen’s town hall, now the royal palace, is place which should not be missed by any tourist.
Rahul viz recommends that you visit www.bookings.nl/city/nl/amsterdam.html?aid=305255 for more information on Royalty in the City on Water. |
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