"Amsterdam" a Amsterdam Travel Page by Aphrodite21

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Amsterdam is the biggest city in Holland and of course the place where all the tourists head to first. Despite being born in Holland, I hadn't seen Amsterdam until last year when I went with a few friends for the afternoon. I didn't see as much of the city as I would've liked because there just wasn't time, but I liked what l saw and one of these days I'm going to head back there and explore that city properly.
The first written mention of this city dates all the way back to the 13th century. Legend has it that the city was founded by two Frisian fishermen and their dog. I kind of like that story since my mom's Frisian.
The city became prosperous in the late 16th century with the arrival of immigrants from Antwerp who brought their diamond industry with them.
Holland's Golden Age was in the 17th century and during that time Amsterdam was at the height of its powers. There was overseas expansion and one of Europe's first banks was created in Amsterdam. In 1610, 3 main canals were built (Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht) and from the names you can tell that very rich people built their houses along there. During that time, Amsterdam was also the world's leading manufacturer of maps and globes.
However, the city fell into a decline and experienced a French invasion and of course the World Wars. After the war, Amsterdam recovered and is now a major industrial city and also a favourite spot for tourists.

Also, I was told this story last time I travelled to Holland. It seems that one of my ancestors in the 18th century walked all the way to Amsterdam from Poland I think (?) Anyway it was a long walk and he ended up settling in Amsterdam and the house that he lived in still stands. How cool is that??