F.Y.I. about Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands and when most people imagine this part of the world, windmills and clogs come to mind. What most people don’t know is that there is an extensive canal system throughout Amsterdam that is over 400 years old.

There are 165 different canals and these canals, total, stretch for around 60 miles worth of waterways. These canals are dotted with over 2500 houseboats and over 1200 bridges all over Amsterdam. To put it in perspective, that is 3 times as many bridges as Venice, Italy has. One section of the canals, known as the Canal Ring, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. 

These canals and the buildings around it have inspired such artists as Claude Monet. Monet painted the South Church 13 times over his lifetime. The South Church was built between 1603 and 1611 as the first Protestant Church built in Amsterdam. This is just a touch of the history and famous architecture that surrounds the canals.