History - Amsterdam Red Light District Tour | Guided tours through the redlight district area of Amsterdam

HISTORY

Amsterdam, historical city

Amsterdam is the capital of the Neterlands and has been known, throughout the centuries, as a meetingpoint of cultures. Hospitality and tolerance towards different opinions are significant for this cosmopolitan city. The city has a population of just 767.000 and is the biggest in the country.

Legend has it that Amsterdam was founded by two fisherman after they landed on the banks of the Amstel river. The official excistence of the city dates back to the year 1275. Count Floris the 5th granted the settlement the privilege to levy toll. City rights were granted around 1300 which marked the beginning of Amsterdam's prosperity.

Towards the end of the 16th century merchants from Antwerp moved to Amsterdam after Spanish troops has looted Antwerp. Amsterdam became for a short period the biggest and one of the richest town of the world. After 80-year war with Spain, from 1568-1648, ended, Amsterdam started to prosper soon. Those were the days when many people were drawn to Amsterdam, amongst them jews from Spain and Portugal.

The 17th century ios considered to be the Golden Age of Amsterdam. The Portuguese set the trend for widening the field of trade and the Dutch soon followed. In the year 1602 the Compagny of the East Indies was founded, in 1621 the Company of the West Indies.

The city of New Amsterdam, became the property of Dutch merchants, right now it's better known as New York.

Herengracht, Keizersgracht and the Prinsengracht are Amsterdam's three main canals. The digging started in 1613. Along these canals the rich built theire stately houses.

After the French invasion of 1795, Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Kingdom of Holland in 1806. His trother Louis Bonaparte became King of Holland which was to be annex to France in 1810. In 1813 the nation's population rebelled and Prince William was inaugurated as King Willem 1st of the Netherlands. The was the beginning of the monarchy.

The Northsea canal was dug in 1876 and connects the port of Amsterdam with the Northsea. This canal gave the Dutch economy a big boost.

Redlight district history

The Amsterdam redlight district exist since the year 1200.

This area is one of the oldest area's in Amsterdam. The oldest houses in the city can be found at the beginning of the Zeedijk. During the Middle Ages prostitution was allowed in several places in the city. Most of the gentleman's clubs were managed by the sherrif and his men, for examples the ones on Damstreet.

In the 16th century prostitution underwent prohibited, although it continued to grow just the same.

The first window prostitution in Amsterdam appeared in the 17th century. This phenomenon hasn't dissappeared since...