| Royal Palace of Amsterdam | |
|---|---|
Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam Paleis op de Dam | |
 The Royal Palace of Amsterdam in 2016 | |
 Interactive fullscreen map | |
| Former names | Stadhuis op de Dam |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Dutch Baroque architecture |
| Location | Amsterdam,Netherlands |
| Address | Nieuwezijds Voorburg 147 |
| Coordinates | 52°22′23.2″N4°53′29.0″E / 52.373111°N 4.891389°E /52.373111; 4.891389 |
| Current tenants | KingWillem-Alexander |
| Construction started | 1648[1] |
| Completed | 1665 |
| Inaugurated | 20 July 1655 |
| Cost | ƒ 8.5 million |
| Owner | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 22,031 square metres (237,140 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Jacob van Campen,Daniël Stalpaert |
| Other designers | Artus Quellinus,Govert Flinck,Jacob Jordaens,Jan Lievens,Ferdinand Bol |
| References | |
 DutchRijksmonument5941 | |
TheRoyal Palace of Amsterdam inAmsterdam (Dutch:Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam orPaleis op de Dam) is one of three palaces in theNetherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch byAct of Parliament. It is situated on the west side ofDam Square in the centre ofAmsterdam, opposite theWar Memorial and next to theNieuwe Kerk.
The palace building was commissioned by mayorNicolaes Tulp as a large-scale construction project for a newcity hall even before the old one burned down in 1652. It was completed in 1656 and became an international attraction for foreign visitors and the art installed in various public rooms were recorded and copied by various artists. During theBatavian Republic the public floors of the building became the first Amsterdam museum underLouis Bonaparte and later became his royal palace when Napoleon crowned him king. After the fall of Napoleon, it became the palace of the Dutch Royal House. The public floors still function as a museum and are open to the public most days of the year.
The old structure was next to theWisselbank, which in turn faced theweigh house next to the landing wharves alongDamrak, which at that time would have been busy with ships.[2] The fire on July 7th, 1652 was most disastrous for the treasury of coins there, which were eagerly "saved" by the helpful populace. Comparison of details of city maps before and after the fire show how construction was altered to clear buildings unaffected by the fire for an entire the city block in order to create a safe buffer from other buildings and reduce the chances of fire ever again.
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The new town hall was opened on 29 July 1655 byCornelis de Graeff, the mayor of Amsterdam.[3] De Graeff's sonJacob de Graeff laid the foundation for this along with three other children. The main architect wasJacob van Campen, who took control of the construction project in 1648. It was built on 13,659wooden piles.
After thepatriot revolution which swept theHouse of Orange from power a decade earlier, the newBatavian Republic was forced to accept Louis Bonaparte as King Louis I of Holland in 1806. After holding his court at The Hague and Utrecht, Louis Napoleon moved to Amsterdam in 1808. He converted the public rooms of the town hall into a national museum under the direction ofCornelis Apostool and took the rest of the royal palace for himself. The collection of the national museum had been formed byAlexander Gogel inThe Hague after the contents of thePrince William V Gallery had been shipped to theLouvre in 1795. This ' National Art Gallery' collection was first shown inHuis ten Bosch from 1800. That museum, already an attraction for itsOranjezaal, exhibited around 200 paintings and historic objects from the collections of the Dutchstadtholders. In 1805, this National Art Gallery moved to the still-emptyPrince William V Gallery, on theBuitenhof. In 1806, on the orders of the new king Louis Bonaparte the collection moved to the royal palace building in 1808. The motivation was to secure the collection from being abducted once again to the Louvre. Prominent paintings of national importance owned by Amsterdam, such asThe Night Watch byRembrandt, became part of the collection and in 1809, the museum opened its doors to the public. To improve the view from the palace, Louis Bonaparte ordered the deconstruction of the oldweigh house in 1808, which had already been partially replaced in its function by theWaag, Amsterdam before the fire of 1652. By the 19th century, most boat traffic to theDamrak was no longer for goods but for people.
Today, the palace complex is used by the monarch for entertaining and official functions duringstate visits and other official receptions, such as New Year receptions. The award ceremonies of theErasmus Prize, of the Silver Carnation, of the Royal Awards for Modern Painting, and of thePrince Claus Awards are also held in the palace.[1] It was made property of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1936.[1]
The balcony of the Royal Palace was used during the investiture of QueenBeatrix in 1980, where her motherJuliana announced the new queen to the people.[4]
The palace was renovated from 2005 until June 2009, during which, among other things,asbestos was removed. Since 14 June 2009, the palace is open again to visitors.[5]
The sandstone of yellowish hue has darkened considerably in the course of time. Astride the rear of the building is a 6-metre-tall statue ofAtlas carrying the Globe on his shoulders.[6]
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