Royal Palace of Amsterdam
The Royal Palace of Amsterdam (Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam) is one of the four palaces used by the Dutch royal family. The palace is one of the most spectacular buildings in the city of Amsterdam and is definitely worth visiting. It is located next to the Nieuwe Kerk on the Dam Square in the heart of the city.
The Royal Palace of Amsterdam was built as town hall between 1648 and 1665. It was designed by Dutch artist and architect Jacob van Campen who was inspired by the Roman administrative buildings. The palace topped by a large domed cupola was built from yellowish sandstone from Bentheim (Germany) but it darkened over time. On the top of the cupola is a weather vane in the shape of a Cog ship which is a symbol of the city of Amsterdam.
The interior which was designed to reveal the power and prestige of Amsterdam was completed later. Among the main highlights of the interior are two maps of the world with a celestial hemisphere on the marble floor of the huge central hall. The present day world maps showing Western and Eastern hemispheres were added in the mid-18th century replacing the maps from the mid-17th century that were showing regions explored by the Dutch East India Company in the first half of the 17th century.
After the creation of the Batavian Republic in 1806 the town hall was converted into a palace for the new King of Holland Louis Napoleon, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. The palace became the seat the French governor Charles-Francois Lebrun in 1810 when the Netherlands was annexed by France but was restored as town hall after the downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1813. However, the town hall again became a royal palace when William I Frederick was restored as King of the Netherlands. Today, the palace is used by the Dutch royal family for various ceremonies, entertainment and official receptions but it is open to visitors as well.