Walk around Dam Square
Dam Square is one of those places in Amsterdam that is difficult to avoid. Sooner or later, you will find yourself here, surrounded by tourists and people waiting for friends. It is almost always crowded and not somewhere I would choose to spend hours. Still, don’t walk away just yet. Dam Square has a few surprises that are easy to miss.
Find a spot at the foot of the National Monument and take a moment to look around. From here, you have a good view of the buildings surrounding the square. Some of them have played an important role in Amsterdam’s history, while others have a few unexpected stories to tell.
Look around Dam Square
On the corner of Dam Square and Damrak is De Bijenkorf. Across the square stands the Royal Palace, originally built as Amsterdam’s town hall. It is an impressive building, and it is easy to forget that this was once where the city’s administration was based.
To your right is the Nieuwe Kerk, or New Church. Despite its name, it dates back to the fifteenth century. It is no longer used as a regular church but hosts exhibitions instead. Next to it is a café where you can sit down for a coffee and a slice of Dutch apple pie. It is a convenient place to escape the crowds for a while.
At the corner of Rokin, you will probably spot a queue. People are waiting to enter Madame Tussauds, where famous faces are recreated in wax. Just around the corner, at the junction of Rokin and Dam, is the Gassan Dam Square. Here you can watch diamond cutters at work. Worth a look, even if buying a diamond is not on your shopping list. It is probably best to check your wallet first!
De Bijenkorf: shopping on Dam Square
De Bijenkorf is one of Amsterdam’s best-known department stores. The name means beehive, which seems particularly appropriate during busy shopping days.
Spread over five floors, you will find everything from international designer brands and fashionable labels to cosmetics, clothing and socks. Even if you are not planning to shop, take a look inside.
De Bijenkorf even has a connection with Hollywood. Its rooftop was used as the fictional capital of Tomania in Charlie Chaplin’s *The Great Dictator*. An unexpected film connection for a department store on Dam Square.
Nieuwe Kerk: exhibitions in a historic church
The Nieuwe Kerk has stood on Dam Square since the fifteenth century. It no longer holds regular church services but is used for temporary exhibitions instead.
The programme changes regularly, with exhibitions covering subjects such as art, photography and history. The church also has an important role in Dutch royal history. Several monarchs have been inaugurated here, including King Willem-Alexander in 2013. Royal weddings have also taken place inside, including the marriage of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima in 2002.
Even if you decide not to go inside, have a closer look at the Gothic exterior. With so much happening on Dam Square, it is easy to walk past without really noticing the details of this historic building.
Madame Tussauds: wax figures on Dam Square
The queue at the corner of Rokin usually gives away the entrance to Madame Tussauds. Inside, you will find wax figures of Dutch and international celebrities, as well as scenes from Dutch history.
The collection is regularly updated. Politicians who have left office and celebrities who are no longer in the spotlight eventually disappear, making room for new figures. So a return visit may bring a few surprises.
Making a single figure takes quite some time: around three months. It starts with a model made entirely from clay. And despite the name of the museum, the finished figures are not actually made of wax but of fibreglass. Creating a recognisable face takes considerably more work than you might expect.
Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky: from a modest café to a grand hotel
Behind the National Monument stands Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. Its history began with a modest coffee house on Dam Square.
In the late nineteenth century, Polish immigrant Wilhelm Krasnapolsky leased a run-down coffee house and renamed it Café-Restaurant Krasnapolsky. He renovated the interior, installed mirrors and introduced electric lighting, something still unusual in Amsterdam at the time. The business soon became successful.
He also introduced palm trees and other tropical plants, creating the Winter Garden. The Winter Garden is still there today.
Today, the hotel looks a long way removed from the modest coffee house Krasnapolsky once leased. If you are walking around the square, step inside and have a look at the Winter Garden. You don’t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy a coffee here.
Before you leave Dam Square
Most visitors cross Dam Square on their way to somewhere else. But take a little time to notice what surrounds you. A department store with a Hollywood connection, a church used for royal ceremonies and a grand hotel that began as a modest coffee house: there is more to this busy square than meets the eye.
