Amsterdam in numbers and photos

The capital of Holland - Amsterdam - is an important commercial and financial European center. This small cosmopolitan city, which combines a rich cultural heritage with dynamic development, attracts millions of tourists from all over the world. Amsterdam has become one of the most visited cities in Europe. What creates the unique atmosphere of this city? You will find the answer in our material - Amsterdam in numbers and photos.

Every year, Amsterdam - a city that was built in the 13th century and takes its name from the Amstel River - is visited by about 4.5 million tourists from all over the world. (Photo: Bert Kaufmann / flickr.com)

The Netherlands is one of the richest countries on the continent whose main source of income is tourism. This is not surprising, because more than four million tourists come to the capital every year, fascinated by the culture, architecture and, above all, the atmosphere of this unique city. Amsterdam can without embellishment be called the most tolerant city in the world. Even in the XV-XVI centuries, the city favorably received Protestants, Catholics and Jews who came here. And today soft drugs and the porn industry are allowed here, and homosexuality is not a taboo topic. Liberal morality and economics became his best advertisement to the whole world. (Photo: Arlette (reloaded) / flickr.com)

Everyone knows that Holland is the country of tulips. It is estimated that about 600,000 tulips are planted annually in the parks and gardens of Amsterdam alone. (Photo: Ruud Morijn / flickr.com)

The first tulip "came" to the Netherlands in the 16th century from Turkey. And the real "tulip mania" in the country began after the gardener Johan van Hoogheland found a way to create new varieties of tulips of various colors. An incredible number of tulips of all colors of the rainbow can be seen at the flower market in Amsterdam. Pictured: National Tulip Day. (Photo: Ruud Morijn / flickr.com)

Amsterdam is a city of cyclists. Within the city, more than 40 percent of the population travels by bicycle, the number of which in the city is 881,000, despite the fact that the population of the city is 810,084 inhabitants. (Photo: Hanan Bercu / flickr.com)

Every year in Amsterdam, under mysterious circumstances, 100,000 bicycles disappear without a trace, and 25,000 somehow end up in the canals. Looking at this photo, everything becomes clear. (Photo: Rob de Voogd / zzapback / flickr.com)

There are as many as 165 canals in Amsterdam than in Venice - as many as 165. The city is located on 90 natural and artificial islands, which are connected by a huge number of bridges (read more about bridges below). And there are about 11 million wooden piles on which Amsterdam stands. (Photo: Werner Kunz / flickr.com)

In Amsterdam, barges are very popular, which in most cases are used as a dwelling. Once upon a time in the post-war years, poor people lived in the barges, who could not afford to buy ordinary housing. Now a houseboat is a fashion, there are more than 2.5 thousand baroques in the canals of Amsterdam alone. And almost all of them are equipped with modern equipment, as well as have access to electricity and gas. (Photo: Dimitris Dranidis / flickr.com)

There are 1515 cafes and bars in Amsterdam. While in Amsterdam, you should definitely visit one of the many Bruin cafés, which have also become a symbol of the city. "Brown cafes" are so called because of the sediment that forms on the walls and ceilings from tobacco smoke. (Photo: Gerdien van Steen / flickr.com)

In its early days, the Brown Cafe was a place where you could have a glass of white Genever for free. This is a typical Amsterdam alcohol, which is similar to gin, but has a much stronger flavor, as various herbs such as cumin and coriander are added to it in addition to juniper. It can be mixed with beer, and then the following drinks are obtained: kopstoot - in translation means something like a blow to the head, kabouter pils - in translation "dwarfs' beer" or lampie licht - in translation "lantern". What exactly these names mean, I don't know exactly, but I think it's about what effects the use of this drink causes. (Photo: Preston Pictures / flickr.com)

There are about 200 coffee shops in Amsterdam, where the use of about a dozen different soft drugs is allowed. (Photo: zione © 2.500 milion views / flickr.com)

For all the opponents of drugs, I will say right away that, according to statistics, the number of drug addicts in the Netherlands is much less than in any other country with less liberal laws in relation to the use of soft drugs. As you know, the forbidden fruit is sweet, so it is where such drugs are prohibited that their use increases significantly. An interesting fact is that Amsterdam is the only place on Earth where a marijuana fair takes place. In the photo: Amsterdam coffee&joint. (Photo: Daniel Krieger / flickr.com)

Amsterdam is also a city of diamonds. It was once the capital of processing these gems, but lost this title after the Second World War to Antwerp. Pictured: Gassan diamonds in Amsterdam. (Photo: Danny-Boy / flickr.com)

There are 24 diamond cutting workshops in Amsterdam, which offer visitors a free presentation of the process of processing these precious stones, the opportunity to try on and buy ready-made diamond jewelry. You can see an example of such a presentation in the photo. (Photo: Almixnuts / flickr.com)

206 paintings by Vincent van Gogh - one of the greatest artists in world history - can be seen at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. (Photo: harry.kontos / flickr.com)

The Vincent Van Gogh Museum contains not only his paintings, but also more than 500 drawings, as well as 850 letters written by the famous artist. Did you know that the master has been painting for only 9 years? Pictured: Museum Van Gogh. (Photo: napolux / flickr.com)

In Amsterdam, which is located on 90 islands, there are 1539 bridges and viaducts, each of which has its own number. The first bridges in the city, of course, were wooden. Bridge number one is at Muntplein. And the thousandth bridge was built in 1973. Photo: Magere bridge. (Photo: NamorPictures / flickr.com)

The Blauwbrug, or Blue Bridge, is a historic bridge over the Amstel River, which has the number 236. Since about 1600, it connects Rembrandt Square with Waterloo Square. It got its name because of the blue color - one of the colors of the Dutch flag, in which it was painted. (Photo: Kenneth Verburg / flickr.com)

And, of course, Amsterdam is the most tolerant city on Earth. According to the author of this photo, one of the best and most fun "gay pride" takes place here, in which since 1996, on the first Saturday of August, the famous gay pride parade has been held along the canals of Amsterdam. (Photo: Roy Sonneveld / flickr.com)

Gay Parade Amsterdam 2014. More than half a million people come to Amsterdam every year to watch or participate in this spectacular show. (Photo: Sait Izmit)