Royal Palace

The first stone of the town hall was laid in 1648. The town hall was officially opened on July 29, 1655, with Jacob van Campen as the chief architect. The building was completed in 1665, and the interior decoration continued into the early 18th century. The building remained a town hall until 1808, after which it served as the residence of King Louis Bonaparte of Holland.

It was then gifted to King Louis-Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew. Louis-Napoleon moved to Amsterdam and transformed the town hall into his palace. However, the new king abdicated on July 2, 1810.

In 1936, the palace became the property of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

From 2005 to June 2009, a major restoration of the building was undertaken, during which, among other things, darkened asbestos was removed from the exterior walls. Since June 14, 2009, the palace has been reopened to visitors.

The palace was built on a foundation of 13,659 wooden piles using yellow sandstone imported from Germany.

The architectural style is Dutch classicism with elements of Italian architecture, such as pilasters and triangular pediments. The building's plan is a square with two inner courtyards, symbolizing the maritime and trade power of the republic.

The palace features a spacious central hall (36.6 m long, 18.3 m wide, and 27.4 m high). On the marble floor, one can see a pair of world maps depicting the celestial sphere. Also noticeable on these maps are the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, which detail areas particularly affected by Amsterdam’s colonial influence. These hemispheres were created in the mid-eighteenth century, replacing earlier maps. At the top of the main wall is a sculpture of Atlas holding the celestial vault, created by Artus Quellinus.

In addition to the hall, next to the town hall are courtyards surrounded by galleries, displaying works by masters such as Rembrandt, Govert Flinck, Jacob Jordaens, Jan Lievens, and Ferdinand Bol. Rembrandt specifically created the painting "The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis" for this location.

The rooms retain an antique setting – Empire-style furniture, vases, chandeliers, clocks, fireplaces, ceiling paintings, and much more. Some of these items are gifts from heads of state who have visited, adding special value to them.

Today, the Royal Palace is one of Amsterdam's landmarks, still used by Queen Beatrix for special occasions, such as official events during state visits.

At one time, the town hall was considered for the eighth wonder of the world. For many years, it was the largest administrative building in Europe.