Royal Palace Amsterdam

The Royal Palace on Dam Square (Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam) at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 147 was built between 1648 and 1665 as Amsterdam's city hall at the height of the Dutch Republic's wealth and global influence. Designed by Jacob van Campen, the building is considered one of the most important examples of Dutch classical architecture and was conceived as a statement of civic pride and republican ambition, its size and grandeur intended to rival the palace of any European monarch. In 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte's brother Louis Napoleon converted it to a royal palace, and it has served in that capacity ever since — today as an official reception venue for King Willem-Alexander and the Dutch Royal Family. The interior is open to the public when not in use for state functions. The centrepiece is the Citizens' Hall (Burgerzaal), an enormous hall running the full width of the building, with a floor inlaid with marble maps of the Eastern and Western hemispheres and the celestial sky as they were understood in the mid-17th century. The council chambers and tribunal rooms contain original 17th-century furniture, paintings by Ferdinand Bol and Govert Flinck (both Rembrandt pupils), and large allegorical sculptures by Artus Quellijn. An audio guide, included with admission, contextualises the political and artistic programme of the building. The palace faces the National Monument war memorial on Dam Square and is flanked by the Nieuwe Kerk church.