The Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam resides right in the midst of the celebrated Amsterdam Canal District. Not only does this beautiful neighborhood constitute the city’s historic downtown, it is also an incredibly popular UNESCO World Heritage Site. Amsterdam itself is filled with history, having been founded generations ago at the height of the Middle Ages. Toward the end of the 12th century, a small vishing village emerged amid the marshes that surrounded the Amstesl River. Over time, the residents also developed a dam nearby, which caused many to refer to the settlement as “Amsterdam.” (The original name was actually Amstelledamme before its reduction to just “Amsterdam.”) Interestingly, the dam eventually served as the focal point for the town, with its market square and first streets extending outward from it. But Amsterdam grew slowly, as the local floodplains discouraged widespread agriculture. Instead, the earliest inhabitants traded herring and beer as a way to earn a living. Fortunately, the town’s fortunes started to change once Floris V, Count of Holland, granted the citizens the right to trade freely with its adjacent communities. Amsterdam’s nascent trade network flourished over the next few centuries, growing large enough to conduct regular commercial transactions with the powerful Hanseatic League. The settlement’s population rapidly exploded, with Amsterdam evenutally gaining the status of a city in the early 14th century.

As Amsterdam began to emerge as an important European metropolis, the city—as well as the rest of the medieval Netherlands—became a fiefdom to the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good. It subsequently remained a part of the Burgundian State until Philip’s distant descendant, Mary of Burgundy, married Archduke Maximilian Habsburg. The Austrian Habsburgs would then rule over the region for years, with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V leaving the entire country to his son, King Philip II of Spain. But the Dutch in both Amsterdam and the greater Netherlands ultimately rose up against the Habsburgs, fighting a war of independence known as the “Eight Years’ War.” Upon winning their independence at the conclusion of the conflict in 1568, the Dutch further enhanced Amsterdam’s standing as a continental trading hub. Powerful financial guilds emerged throughout the city, who subsequently established some of the first European banks. The merchants also established a mighty navy, which allowed Amsterdam’s inhabitants to trade—and even colonize—many areas throughout the Americas, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Even more wealth flowed into Amsterdam, enabling its residents to construct some of the finest architecture ever seen in Europe. Among the gorgeous structures developed included the Westerkerk, the Zuiderkerk, and the Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam (otherwise known as the “Royal Palace of Amsterdam”). Local engineers were even empowered to develop a series of canals to serve as a means of transportation, defense, and water management. Soon enough, visiting merchants were calling Amsterdam the “Venice of the North.”

The Dutch Golden Age eventually came to an end around the 17th century, when the Netherlands became embroiled in several expensive wars. Those conflicts significantly drained the republic of its finances, with even the Amsterdam Stock Market crashing during the tumultuous Franco-Dutch War of the 1670s. Amsterdam nonetheless remained one of Europe’s most economically vibrant cities well into the following centuries. Despite brief periods of economic recession during the Napoleonic Wars and World War II, Amsterdam has since retained its status as one of Europe’s most prosperous communities. Amsterdam continues to be an important regional financial center, with the Amsterdam Stock Market regarded as the most historic of its kind today. Products still flow frequently into the Port of Amsterdam, which is the fifth largest on the continent. Dozens of leading Dutch companies keep their headquarters in the city—like Philips, AkzoNobel, and ING—while many other international corporations use the city as their base of operations. Amsterdam is deemed to be the Netherlands’ cultural capital, as well, known particularly for its exciting nightlife and festivals. But the city is also a fantastic tourist destination, as its hosts millions of visitors from across the globe every year. Most are attracted to its fantastic variety of cultural attractions and landmarks, such as the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, the Concertgebouw, the Scheepvaartmuseum, the Anne Frank House, the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, and of course, the many ubiquitous canals.

The Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam displays a beautiful blend of Dutch Baroque architecture. This unique architectural style emerged during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, in which merchants throughout The Netherlands—flush with cash—began erecting magnificent residences and municipal offices. The Dutch architects borrowed heavily from the design principles of the Italian Renaissance, employing similar structural themes like giant order pilasters, gable roofs, and beautiful steeples. Yet, in keeping with the democratic traditions of the early Dutch Republic, these architects opted to embrace a less ostentatious aesthetic derived from earlier Neoclassical examples. Hendrick de Keyser served as the catalyst for this new architectural movement, as his work on the Noorderkerk and the Westerkerk in Amsterdam inspired subsequent generations across The Netherlands. Many other iconic buildings showcasing Dutch Baroque architecture quickly appeared in the country, including the Huis ten Bosch in The Hague and the City Hall in Maastricht. The movement continued unabated in Amsterdam as well, with grand structural masterpieces—like the Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam—emerging throughout the city for the remainder of the century.

William I, Prince of Orange (1544 – 1584)

Maurice of Orange (1618 – 1625)

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (1625 – 1647)

Queen Marie de’ Medici of France (1600 – 1610)

Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1940 – 1945; 1951 – 1955)

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (1980 – 2013)