Thursday, December 29 2005, 2:08PM
Although most on-street parking rates do not change next year in Amsterdam, or not very much, this is different for the old centre: the hourly rate goes from E 3.40 to E 4.40.
The new rates start on January 1, and apply to a part of the centre of Amsterdam, mainly [....]
Thursday, December 29 2005, 11:44AM
Amsterdam is going to deploy undercover agents in taxis.
The measure is intended against a group of a few dozen notorious drivers, who break the rules. The rules in question mainly have to do with dangerous driving, speeding, ignoring traffic lights, not wearing [....]
Tuesday, December 27 2005, 6:55PM
The city of Amsterdam expects about 25,000 people will attend the New Year's Eve party that will be held on Dam Square.
The theme of this year's party on Dam Square is the New Year celebration traditions of the inhabitants of Amsterdam. There will be big video screens [....]
Sunday, December 25 2005, 12:47AM
A new painting of Rembrandt has been discovered in the Rembrandt House Museum.
The painting is a portrait of Rembrandt's son, Titus. The painting was long thought to be produced by one of Rembrandt's pupils.
The painting can be seen in the Rembrandt House Museum, [....]
Thursday, December 22 2005, 11:47PM
The city of Amsterdam has introduced a police bylaw to minimize problems with weed smoking youths on the street.
Under the new law the mayor can prohibit the smoking of marijuana in a particular area. The marijuana smoking ban is similar to the alcohol probition that [....]
Thursday, December 22 2005, 11:45AM
A decision has been reached about the new street lights that will be used in the historic centre: the Kroonlantaarn and Ritterlantaarn will both be used.
In the past few months, 2 types of street lights had been 'tested': one called 'Ritterlantaarn' and the other [....]
Tuesday, December 20 2005, 11:14PM
Today the Rembrandt 400 year was officially opened in Amsterdam, by unveiling the statue group that together form the 'Nightwatch' (the Nachtwacht), the famous painting by Rembrandt.
The statue group is located at the Rembrandtplein square, next to the statue of [....]
Tuesday, December 20 2005, 5:24PM
Amsterdam Centre has decided to raise the mooring tax for houseboats in 2006 with 30%. Houseboat owners are furious.
The increase comes on top of another rais, of 25%, one year ago. The rate will now become EUR 8 per m2 per year. The increase is said to be necessary, [....]
Monday, December 19 2005, 1:07PM
The ice skating rink on Museumplein square was opened yesterday.
The rink is located on the large square at the back of the Rijksmuseum.
Using the rink is for free. The rink will be open until February 2006.
Thursday, December 15 2005, 11:49PM
Yesterday, the official opening of the Rembrandt Year took place, in Leiden, in the presence of Queen Beatrix.
Leiden is the place where Rembrandt was born 400 years ago, in 1606.
In 2006 it will have been 400 years ago that Rembrandt, Holland's greatest 17th-century [....]
Thursday, December 15 2005, 6:58PM
The cinema Cinerama closes with a parade of classical movies.
Cinerama was opened in 1965, and at that time it was one of the most modern cinemas in the Netherlands.
On December 30 is the last movie to be seen, as it has to close down to make place for the new [....]
Thursday, December 15 2005, 6:12PM
The Liberal party (VVD) in Amsterdam says it is in favour of official recognition of gay cruising places, such as in the Sarphatipark and Oosterpark.
This is one of the recommendations made in the memo 'Amsterdam Gay Capital - Tolerant capital' that is to appear next [....]
Wednesday, December 14 2005, 6:55PM
The year 2005 will probably be number 5 on the list of warmest years since measurements started in Holland, in 1706.
The average temperature for this year will probably be 10.7 degrees Centigrade (51 Fahrenheit), measured over the whole year, including day and [....]
Wednesday, December 14 2005, 2:17PM
The number 112 is now the emergency phone number for the entire European Union.
Now that Poland as the last member state introduced the special phone number, the whole European Community uses the same number for ambulance, fire brigade and police [....]
Wednesday, December 14 2005, 12:25PM
Two girls in a student house in Amsterdam discovered a webcam that was hidden in their home.
The webcam was connected to a computer in the attic of the adjacent house. The girls discovered the webcam while painting the wall. They had been living there for 2 [....]
Monday, December 12 2005, 5:57PM
Like every year, many gardens and houses in the village Den Ilp (just north of Amsterdam) have been extensively decorated with Christmas lights.
And also, like every year, this will lead to an enormous line of slow going traffic on the main road through the village, [....]
Monday, December 12 2005, 4:42PM
The chairman of Amsterdam-Centrum has officially lit the Christmas lights in the windmill 'de Gooyer' in the east part of the centre.
The windmill is located in the east part of the centre, a part that Amsterdam-Centrum wants to promote, because it has many [....]
Friday, December 09 2005, 11:12AM
The traditional Christmas tree has been placed on Dam Square.
The last few years there were several problems with the tree: it was either too small or too ugly, or it would fall.
This year's tree did not go without problems either; originally, an 18 meter tree was [....]
Thursday, December 08 2005, 11:36PM
During the weekend of February 10-12, 2006, the Amsterdam RAI will host top-level international tennis, when the Netherlands team plays a Davis Cup first-round elite World Group tie against Russia.
The Netherlands team is expected to include Raemon Sluiter and Martin [....]
Thursday, December 08 2005, 10:55PM
Parliament has decided that the 4 big cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht) get more powers and money to solve problems with the local taxi market.
The city government had asked a long time for these powers, but they were never granted a special status, [....]
Thursday, December 08 2005, 12:56PM
The fire brigade of the army will be called upon to replace the fire brigade staff in Amsterdam that are on strike.
About 125 firemen have called in sick after the outcome of labour negotiations yesterday. According to the new agreement they have to give up their [....]
Tuesday, December 06 2005, 4:55PM
The Dutch Railways have started a test project to provide tv and (wireless) in the train.
Starting today, the intercity trains between Haarlem and Maastricht (major stops at Amsterdam, Utrecht, 's Hertogenbosch, Eindhoven, Roermond, Sittard) will have tv screens [....]
Monday, December 05 2005, 4:26PM
Alderman Laetitia Griffith (Economic Affairs) has said not to consider the abolishment of tourist tax in Amsterdam.
Recently the cities of Amersfoort and Rotterdam announced they would abolish the tourist tax altogether. Touris tax is a tax levied to accommodation [....]
Monday, December 05 2005, 4:14PM
The Rolling Stones will give an extra concert in the Amsterdam Arena.
This was announced by Mojo Concerts, the organizer of the concerts.
After the tickets for the performance of July 30 were sold out in half an [....]
Sunday, December 04 2005, 9:54PM
The tickets for the Rolling Stones concert in the Arena Stadium next year, were all sold out yesterday in 30 minutes. Many tickets have already appeared on the black market.
One day later, hundreds of ads have appeared on the websites Marktplaats.nl and [....]
Friday, December 02 2005, 11:13AM
Flying the flag for the birthday of Princess Amalia has been made official by the Prime Minister.
Princess Catharina-Amalia is the daughter of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima, and therefore the most likely candidate to become the future Queen of the [....]
Thursday, December 01 2005, 3:04PM
Lodewijk Asscher, the chairman of the social democrats in the Amsterdam city council, has said in his new book that he is in favour of the gradual disappearance of the world-famous Red Light District in Amsterdam.
He wrote this in his new book 'Nieuw Amsterdam', which [....]
Wednesday, November 30 2005, 10:20AM
The Rolling Stones will perform in the Arena Stadium in Amsterdam South-East on July 30 2006.
The concert is part of the European tour 'A Bigger Bang'. Presales in Amsterdam will start on Saturday December 3.
More information is on the Rolling Stones website.
Wednesday, November 30 2005, 10:12AM
The department of the city of Amsterdam that maintains the parking laws (Stadstoezicht) appears to impose a minimum of 10 parking fines and 8 wheel clamps on its employees.
This was written in an internal personnel magazine of the department. The rule causes unrest [....]
Monday, November 28 2005, 10:14PM
Amsterdam and Rotterdam have together started a campaign to increase awareness for terrorist threats of public transport users.
The 2 cities decided to cooperate in the campaign, which specifically targets travellers the bus, tram and metro system.
The reason for [....]
Saturday, November 26 2005, 4:52PM
Three restaurants in Amsterdam have lost a Michelin star in the Benelux Micheling guide of 2006. In the Netherlands there are now 3 restaurants with 3 stars.
The restaurants that lost a star are
Read More
Saturday, November 26 2005, 12:57AM
Today's severe weather has caused major problems on roads and railways.
Due to storm, heavy rain, hail, snow and thunderstorms traffic was disrupted today in large parts of the Netherlands.
The morning rush hour traffic jams did not solve and merged into the [....]
Friday, November 25 2005, 10:52AM
The city of Rotterdam has decided to cancel the tourist tax.
Tourist tax is a tax levied by cities for hotel and other accommodation.
Last week Amersfoort was the first city in the Netherlands to abolish the tourist tax, now followed by
Read More
Friday, November 25 2005, 10:27AM
Dutch prisoners will soon have to do without pornography on tv in their cells.
Minister of Justice Donner announced this in parliament yesterday.
The pornography is part of the subscription channels that the prisons use for their tv networks. The SGP (a small [....]
Wednesday, November 23 2005, 1:14PM
The city of Amsterdam wants to investigate the feasibility of transporting goods to shops by street tram.
The company City Cargo Nederland came up with the plan.
The idea is to use special freight trams that are loaded in the outskirts of the city, to transport [....]
Wednesday, November 23 2005, 12:34PM
In the Zuiderkerk church you can see an exhibition of photographs of Amsterdam by night.
The photographers Ton van Rijn and Nico Roodhart chose for poetic pictures of places in Amsterdam that are normally very busy, but photographed in the night, without people and [....]
Wednesday, November 16 2005, 7:49AM
Sinterklaas, the Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus, is to arrive on November 20 in Amsterdam.
From 11 am Sinterklaas will sail with his 'black piets' from the river Amstel to the Scheepvaartmuseum (Maritime Museum), just east of the Central Station.
He will arrive [....]
Wednesday, November 09 2005, 2:24AM
The Amsterdam police will start towing away cars that have valuables visibly lying around in the car, such as laptops, cell phones and navigation systems.
The reason for the initiative is the fact that about 70 victims report thefts from their car, every day. [....]
Wednesday, November 09 2005, 2:07AM
Urban sociologist Mr Deben (of the University of Amsterdam) says that riots such as are happening in Paris, are unlikely to happen in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam, like other major cities in the Netherlands, has a sizeable muslim minority, so worries existed that riots might [....]
Thursday, November 03 2005, 1:54PM
Dutch Parliament is now in favour of experimenting with the controlled production of marihuana.
The right wing/liberal political party VVD is now in favour of experimenting with legalized production of soft drugs, which creates a majority in the Dutch 'Tweede Kamer' [....]
Wednesday, November 02 2005, 12:54AM
This evening two train passengers on a high-speed train from Frankfurt were arrested. It appeared to be false alarm.
The passengers apparently looked like 'muslim radicals' (wearing traditional Arabic clothes and beards) and apparently behaved suspiciously (wearing [....]
Monday, October 31 2005, 4:21PM
The closure is because of the state visit of President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
Dam Square will be partly closed between 9am and 5pm. Around 1pm there will be a commemorative ceremony at the National war monument on Dam Square.
Part of the canal belt, [....]
Friday, October 28 2005, 3:59PM
The apartment where Anne Frank used to live has been restored into its original state.
The apartment is located at Merwedeplein 37, in Amsterdam south. Anne Frank used to live here from 1933 (after they escaped from Germany) to 1942, when the family went into hiding [....]
Friday, October 28 2005, 8:29AM
Yesterday 11 people died in a fire that broke out in a prison complex on Schiphol Airport. Fifteen were wounded.
The prison is mainly meant for illegal immigrants, people who are denied access to the country and people who were caught with drugs.
Apparently, the [....]
Wednesday, October 26 2005, 10:55AM
This year too, there is an ice skating rink on Dam Square, together with a Christmas market.
The skating rink is open from November 14 until January 7 (closed on December 30 and 31). If you don't have your own skates, you can rent them at the site.
From 14 November [....]
Monday, October 24 2005, 4:57PM
The test period with outdoor cafes in the winter period will be extended this year in Amsterdam.
The first time this happened was last winter, and the results were satisfactory.
About 25 percent of the owners of a licence for an outdoor cafe made use of the [....]
Tuesday, October 18 2005, 8:42PM
On November 2 the assassination of Theo van Gogh will be commemorated at the place where he was killed, 1 year ago.
The ceremony will take place between 8.30 and 9am, on Linnaeusstraat near the Oosterpark in Amsterdam east, the location of the murder.
The [....]
Monday, October 17 2005, 9:07PM
In one of the largest police operations ever in the Netherlands the police have raided various locations of Hell's Angels in the Netherlands.
The action took place in the middle of the night, in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Haarlem, Kampen, IJmuiden and 64 houses.
E [....]
Sunday, October 16 2005, 2:40PM
Hail Gebrselassie (Kenya) has won the ING Marathon today.
With a time of 2.06.20 he set a personal record and a track record, but did not break the world record of 2.04.55.
Sunday, October 16 2005, 2:34PM
A pelican that escaped from the Artis Zoo has been spotted on various locations in the city.
The pelican was first spotted in Amsterdam south, later in Osdorp, a suburb of Amsterdam. The last time it was seen is in neighbourhood 'de Aker', in Amsterdam west.
Sunday, October 16 2005, 2:30PM
The construction work place that was to be built in front of the Royal Palace, will be placed elsewhere after protests.
The Royal Palace will be closed down for major maintenance and redecoration for a few years.
Shop owners and the Amsterdam Tourist Board had [....]
Sunday, October 16 2005, 2:24PM
Alderman van der Horst has promised there will be a second bicycle flat near the Central Station.
The bicycle flat is a large float with several floors for parking bicycles. The structure has become a tourist attraction in itself because of the thousands of bicycles [....]
Saturday, October 15 2005, 1:41PM
The AMC hospital in Amsterdam will receive a E 800,000 donation from Bill Gates' charity foundation.
The money is for research to develop a mouse with an immuno defense system similar to humans. With these mice tests can be carried out, necessary for the development [....]
Wednesday, October 12 2005, 12:35AM
Fifteen thousand pubs in the Netherlands, serving beer of Heineken, Amstel or Brand, will get new beer glasses.
Dutch cafes will get the new Heineken glass (the Galaxy) as the first in the world.
The glasses have led to controversy, because the new glasses are [....]
Monday, October 10 2005, 12:41AM
Two new types of street lights have been placed along the Herengracht canal, for the public to see and judge.
The street lights have been place along the Herengracht canal, between the streets Wijde Heisteeg and Huidenstraat.
Two types of street lights will be [....]
Tuesday, October 04 2005, 12:05PM
Time Magazine has listed Job Cohen, the mayor of Amsterdam, as a European Hero 2005.
He has been listed because of his role after the assassination of film maker Theo van Gogh by a Muslim radical in Amsterdam, last year November.
According to Time Magazine, even [....]
Friday, September 30 2005, 12:24AM
Amsterdam City, an organization of Amsterdam businesses, has protested against the way a redecoration of the Royal Palace on Dam Square is carried out.
Apparently, the construction workers will set up a large building site in front of the
Read More
Friday, September 30 2005, 12:02AM
The OLVG Hospital in Amsterdam East has been voted the best hospital of the Netherlands.
The vote was carried out by Elsevier Magazine, and held under nurses, general practitioners and specialists.
The reasons give were the 'very good medical expertise', 'a top [....]
Wednesday, September 28 2005, 5:01PM
On Monday October 3 the sun will be partially eclipsed in the Netherlands.
In a narrow region of Portugal and Spain, and north and east Africa, the eclipse will be more complete. A ring of the sun will remain visible.
As the moon moves in front of the sun, it will [....]
Tuesday, September 27 2005, 5:05PM
The Amsterdam Hermitage Museum is to get € 9.000.000 extra funds from the government.
The Amsterdam Hermitage is a branch of the world-famous St. Petersburg Hermitage.
The Amsterdam Hermitage now [....]
Sunday, September 25 2005, 11:34PM
Since this summer a new kind of excursion has become available: Amsterdam by Segway.
The Segway is a relatively new kind of machine, a self-balancing personal transportation device.
Although still rarely seen in [....]
Friday, September 23 2005, 6:42PM
Today a statue was unveiled of the famous Dutch folk singer André Hazes, at the corner of Albert Cuypstraat and Eerste Sweelinckstraat.
The statue was unveiled on the occasion of the first anniversary of André Hazes' death, exactly one year ago today, in the presence [....]
Thursday, September 22 2005, 3:31PM
Four new paintings by Rembrandt have been discovered by museum 'het Rembrandthuis' (the Rembrandt House).
The paintings were discovered during the preparations for a new exhibition. The paintings were always considered to be made by pupils of Rembrandt, but it is now [....]
Wednesday, September 21 2005, 12:09AM
The once famed gay club iT has been taken by squatters yesterday evening.
The building (in Amstelstraat, near the Rembrandtplein) had been sitting empty since 2004, when it was closed due to violation of noise legislation.
The IT once was one of the most famous [....]
Sunday, September 18 2005, 12:47AM
Other than expected previously, the Bollywood Oscars 2006 will not be held in Amsterdam.
After the IIFA Awards 2005 were held in Amsterdam, it was announced that most likely the event was to be repeated in Amsterdam [....]
Friday, September 16 2005, 7:48PM
On Sunday September 18 there is the usual yearly car free Sunday in Amsterdam.
However, this year the area in which cars are not allowed is smaller than ever: only the medieval heart of the city centre is barred for cars.
This is the part that is enclosed by [....]
Tuesday, September 13 2005, 7:04PM
On Monday September 19 there will be a special charity concert for the jazz musicians in New Orleans.
The concert is intended to help the jazz musicians in New Orleans. Numerous Dutch (jazz) artists will participate.
The entrance fee of E 75.- will go entirely to [....]
Tuesday, September 13 2005, 6:56PM
In October the Amsterdam China Festival will be held.
More than 30 cultural institutions participate, and it is the largest festival with China as a theme that was ever held in the Netherlands.
The Amsterdam China Festival is an initiative of the
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Monday, September 12 2005, 5:23PM
The official residence of the mayor of Amsterdam, now inhabited by Job Cohen, will get a plaque commemorating refering to the slavery past of the building.
The building is located at
Read More
Monday, September 12 2005, 5:06PM
The Open Monuments Days have attracted 900,000 people this weekend. The monuments in Amsterdam had 22000 visitors.
The Open Monuments Day is in Amsterdam actually a weekend, in which a number of buildings will open to the public that are normally closed. Entrance is [....]
Sunday, September 11 2005, 1:09PM
Some 200 visitors attending the punk party 'Wasted Festival' were caught up in a big fight with police, yesterday evening.
The trouble started when police addressed a man who was urinating into the canal near the Melkweg theatre, near Leidseplein square, around 10 [....]
Saturday, September 10 2005, 6:17PM
In the aftermath of the Katrina hurricane, officials of water protection works are coping with their own floodings: journalists from all over the world.
Numerous interviews are given by - particularly - spokespersons of the grand water works that were made in Zeeland, [....]
Wednesday, September 07 2005, 3:50PM
The city has started an investigation of the possibilities to move the urban beach Blijburg to another location.
Because of building activities on the IJburg islands, the Blijburg beach had to move. Although the [....]
Friday, September 02 2005, 10:45PM
The Dutch government has sent a frigate of the navy to the Gulf Coast, with supplies and rescue materials.
The ship is already in the Caribbean, near the Dutch Antilles. The government has offered help to the US government, but has not yet received an official [....]
Friday, September 02 2005, 10:37PM
The gas price in the Netherlands is the highest of the world.
With a price of E 1.48 per liter (which is about E 5.6 per gallon, or USD 7 per gallon), the gas price in Holland surpasses the gas price in other European countries.
Gas has always been expensive in [....]
Wednesday, August 31 2005, 3:29PM
Local authorities in Amsterdam-East have decided that there will be a cactus statue in the Oosterpark, in commemoration of Theo van Gogh, the filmmaker who was assassinated in November last year.
There has been a lot of debate on whether and how the filmmaker would be [....]
Friday, August 26 2005, 12:20AM
A judge has ruled that the 'Uitmarkt Junior', the Uitmarkt for children can be organized in the Vondelpark.
The 'Vereniging Vrienden van het Vondelpark' (Society of Friends of the Vondelpark) was against it, as it [....]
Tuesday, August 23 2005, 11:01PM
The yearly large flower parade, the famous Aalsmeer Bloemencorso, will have music as a theme this year.
For the first time ever, each float will be resounding with melody. The procession will be divided into six musical sections. The first section will lead off with [....]
Monday, August 22 2005, 5:08PM
Now the strike of the garbage collectors has ended, they expect to need 1 week to catch up.
Garbage has been filling the streets of Amsterdam, after a 1 week strike that started last Monday.
Now that the strike is over, many people put their garbage outside, after [....]
Monday, August 22 2005, 5:01PM
The Sail 2005 event has drawn about 2.5 million visitors to Amsterdam.
This morning the Sail-Out took place; all boats that were on Sail Amsterdam left Amsterdam through the harbour of IJmuiden. Other than the Sail-in, on Wednesday, this hardly drew any [....]
Sunday, August 21 2005, 10:31AM
The taxi stand in front of the Central Station has been opened again.
The stand was closed a few days ago, as the traffic police judged the situation and behaviour of taxi driver dangerous, with a view to the thousands of visitors of Sail 2005.
The re-opening is a [....]
Friday, August 19 2005, 11:00PM
The problems with the train service around Amsterdam Central Station have been solved.
Five of the 6 train tracks on the west side of the Central Station are in use again. This means that normal train service has been resumed.
The problems were caused by a train [....]
Friday, August 19 2005, 10:58PM
The taxi stand in front of Amsterdam's Central Station is closed by the traffic police until further notice.
The reason is (according to city officials) that taxi drivers entered the street behind the Central Station from the taxi stand, although this street is a [....]
Wednesday, August 17 2005, 11:18PM
The first day of Sail 2005 has ended in a good atmosphere, and without serious problems.
The train problems turned out to be rather acceptable, as 2 tracks on the west side of Central Station are in use again. Continuous trains go to and through between Central [....]
Wednesday, August 17 2005, 4:38PM
The exhibition 'Footsteps of Elvis' will be in the Beurs van Berlage, from August 27 to September 18.
The exhibition is the biggest Elvis exhibition that has ever been organized outside Graceland.
Visitors can see the biggest private collection of Elvis' personal [....]
Tuesday, August 16 2005, 9:14PM
As of this evening, two of the six railway tracks on the West side of Central Station are available for train service again.
This means that train service can be partially resumed between Amsterdam Central Station and destinations West and North of Amsterdam, such as [....]
Tuesday, August 16 2005, 8:56PM
The garbage collectors in Amsterdam, who are on strike this week, have agreed to make an exception for the Dam Square area.
With the Sail event approaching (2.5 million visitors are expected between August 17 and 22), there were fears that the pollution may form a [....]
Tuesday, August 16 2005, 8:33AM
The Dutch Railways are still not able to resume train services between Amsterdam Central Station and Schiphol airport.
The disruption is due to the train derailment that happened yesterday. It is expected that service will not be resumed during the entire day, and it [....]
Monday, August 15 2005, 8:55PM
This morning a train has derailed close to the Central Station of Amsterdam.
The derailment (the third this year) means that services into western direction, including Haarlem, Schiphol Airport, The Hague and Alkmaar may suffer delays.
The derailment is [....]
Monday, August 15 2005, 8:49PM
Starting today, garbage collectors in Amsterdam will strike for a week.
This means that during Sail 2005 most of Amsterdam will become quite a mess, as garbage is not collected and the streets are not cleaned.
Protest by the City of Amsterdam did not help. [....]
Friday, August 12 2005, 3:59PM
A test has shown that the outdoor cafes on the squares Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein are the most expensive in the Netherlands.
Two beers, two wines and two cola cost E 14.48 on the 2 famous squares, whereas in the town of Eindhoven the same beverages cost E [....]
Thursday, August 11 2005, 5:44PM
A ship made of recycled ice cream sticks (the Sea Heart Ship will attempt to sail with 20 persons on board, for 1.5 hours in the Amsterdam waters, on Tuesday August 16.
A former Hollywood self-styled independent stuntman and world record holder, 'Captain Rob' is using [....]
Thursday, August 11 2005, 10:51AM
Politicians in the Netherlands have asked questions in parliament about the program Google Earth.
The website provides satellite images of many locations around the world. Also strategic objects in the Netherlands, which may be of interest (for example) to terrorists [....]
Monday, August 08 2005, 10:54PM
Civil servants of the city of Amsterdam have announced a strike during Sail 2005, August 17 to 21.
So far, not all kinds of workers seem to participate and the effect seems to be limited.
The strikers have announced they will not collect 'harbour tax' from boats [....]
Friday, August 05 2005, 12:21AM
In the Amsterdam Hortus Botanicus a flowering Victoria Cruziana can be seen, probably on August 10 or 11.
The leaves of Victoria can reach a diameter of 2 meters. These water lilies flower at night. Each flower blooms for just two consecutive nights: white the first [....]
Friday, August 05 2005, 12:10AM
Starting Friday, the world's longest indoor karting track will open in Amsterdam, in the RAI Congress Centre.
The track will be 1.6 kilometer long (1 mile), and it will be open for more than 2 weeks, until August 21. It is open from 11 am until 11 pm.
Five of the [....]
Thursday, August 04 2005, 3:06PM
The party in the Halvemaanssteeg, to be held this weekend during Gay Pride, has been cancelled due to security concerns.
Halvemaanssteeg is a small street, just off Rembrandtplein square. In an emergency situation the exit to Rembrandtplein was supposed to be an [....]
Wednesday, August 03 2005, 5:41PM
Restaurant Wilhelmina-Dok, which was rammed by a cruise ship on April 3 this year, is to reopen on Friday August 5. From August 6 you can eat there again.
The restaurant is located at the North side of the IJ, the water at the back of the Central Station.
After the [....]
Wednesday, August 03 2005, 5:29PM
Yesterday evening the first elephant baby ever was born in Amsterdam's Zoo, Artis.
The baby, probably a girl, was born at 22.22 (10.22 pm) in the evening.
It is the first elephant ever born in Artis.
At this point, the baby can only be seen through the monitoring [....]
Saturday, July 30 2005, 11:33PM
Arjen Hemelaar (from Haarlem, near Amsterdam) has invented a new type of beer, brewed from green tea. It is called Iki bier.
He got the idea when he lived in Japan for a long time. He has produced 200,000 bottles of the new beer, that are on sale in a few places in [....]
Saturday, July 30 2005, 11:16PM
Research has shown that about a third of the market stalls of the famous Albert Cuyp street market are illegally sublet to others.
To rent a place for a market stall on the Albert Cuyp, a fee of Euro 505 for 3 months is due to the city. Owners of a licence often [....]
Saturday, July 30 2005, 11:07PM
Because of a large fire in a hotel at Damrak, 80 guests were evacuated.
The fire (yesterday evening) was apparently caused by some young Italian guests, who had set fire to a mattress in the hallway.
The hotel has arranged alternative accommodation for the guests. [....]
Wednesday, July 27 2005, 10:10PM
This summer a new open-air market has started in Amsterdam, on the Amstelveld.
The market will have collectible items and antiquities, and is named 'Mont Martre'. It is located at the Amstelveld, which is a square at the corner of the Prinsengracht and Reguliersgracht [....]
Friday, July 22 2005, 7:52PM
Today the new Insectarium was opened in Artis, Amsterdam's zoo.
Thousands of insects have been moved to the renovated monumental building. The collection contains 70 different kinds of insects, including some endangered species. Artis takes part in the European [....]
Friday, July 22 2005, 7:39PM
The redesign of the taxi stand area in front of the Central Station appears to have a positive effect.
It is now less crowded with taxis, and clients are not approached by taxi drivers any more.
It still happens that taxi clients get refused for short rides, [....]
Wednesday, July 20 2005, 9:50PM
This morning one of the big Dutch newspapers, the Telegraaf, wrote on its front page that Al-Qaeda had threatened European cities with 'London like' attacks if Western countries don't withdraw from Iraq.
According to the Telegraaf,
Read More
Tuesday, July 19 2005, 11:48PM
Today the newly designed taxi stand in front of the Central Station was opened.
As of today, a maximum of 15 taxis are allowed to wait on the taxi stand. If the stand is full, taxis are supposed to drive around.
New rules have been implemented: clients can choose [....]
Monday, July 18 2005, 4:54PM
Yesterday, the yearly Kwakoe festival was opened, in Amsterdam South East.
The Kwakoe Summer Festival is the biggest multicultural festival in the Netherlands and is held every Saturday and Sunday in the months July and August. It originates largely from the black [....]
Monday, July 18 2005, 4:38PM
The business owners and the city authorities have reached a new agreement about how many souvenirs they can sell.
In the old rules it was laid down that at least 85 percent of goods on offer must be flowers. This will now become 75 percent.
Amsterdam-Centrum [....]
Wednesday, July 13 2005, 2:19PM
Tomorrow at 1 pm, Schiphol airport, Connexxion (regional buses) and the GVB (the Amsterdam public transport company) will have a 2 minutes' silence to comemmorate the victims of the attack in London.
The Dutch government had called upon everyone to comemmorate the [....]
Sunday, July 10 2005, 11:55AM
This weekend a new statue of Anne Frank was unveiled by the mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen.
The bronze statue of Anne Frank is located on the Merwedeplein square in Amsterdam-Rivierenbuurt, South of the city centre, between the river Amstel and the RAI Congress [....]
Thursday, July 07 2005, 5:05PM
Amsterdam is in a state of general alert after the terrorist attacks that took place in London this morning.
The mayor, Job Cohen, said information is being gathered on the highest levels, in cooperation with the government.
In Amsterdam there will be more police on [....]
Thursday, July 07 2005, 4:54PM
To commemorate the fact that the Dutch painter Rembrandt was born 399 years ago, the Rijksmuseum organizes a party breakfast.
The breakfast will be on Friday July 15, in the garden of the Rijksmuseum, between 7.30 and 9.30. July 15, 1606, is the date Rembrandt was [....]
Wednesday, July 06 2005, 5:14PM
Before he put paint to canvas, Vincent van Gogh worked with pencil and ink, training himself in perspective, composition and the human form.
Now known for the vibrant colors of his paintings, Van Gogh continued sketching throughout his brief career, producing [....]
Wednesday, July 06 2005, 1:17PM
Organizers of large concerts and festivals warn against fake tickets that are on the market.
Research shows that organized crime is increasing on the market of forged concert tickets. Mostly hit are large concerts, parties and festivals, which are likely to be sold [....]
Sunday, July 03 2005, 12:18AM
The European premiere of the show 'Sleeping Beauty on Ice', due to take place on Saturday July 2, has been postponed to Monday.
The cancellation of the premiere happened because of technical problems with the ice floor. There was a leakage of cooling fluid, so the ice [....]
Sunday, July 03 2005, 12:09AM
The Austrian architect firm Delugan Meissl has been chosen to design the new Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
The new museum is to be located behind the Central Station, directly across the IJ (the water behind the station).
The current location of the
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Friday, July 01 2005, 12:02AM
Amsterdam will get the longest bicycle/pedestrian bridge of the Netherlands, on July 9.
On July 9 the bridge (which is already built in parts) will be installed, or 'sailed in'.
It will connect the new islands of IJburg, in the east of Amsterdam, with Diemen (a [....]
Thursday, June 30 2005, 11:33PM
The past year has seen a growth of 5% of the number of visitors.
Four million tourists came to Amsterdam, an increase of 5% compared to the year before.
In the past few years the number of visitors went down, but this year has been good so far.
Especially [....]
Thursday, June 30 2005, 11:30PM
On July 2 and 9 there will be the large dance parties 'Sensation White' and 'Sensation Black' again.
This year, the police have announced more checks for illegal possession of drugs and drug trade.
All visitors will be checked upon entering the stadium.
This [....]
Thursday, June 30 2005, 11:23PM
Mayor Job Cohen opened the first escalators in the Arena Stadium in Amsterdam today.
The escalator stairs lead to the second ring of the stadium.
Climbing the stairs proved to be too difficult for many elderly people or people with physical restrictions.
By 2006 [....]
Thursday, June 30 2005, 8:38AM
The unions have announced that the strikes by city civil servants may be continued in a more serious form, such as 24 or 48 hours during large events, such as Sail 2005.
Sail 2005 takes place in Amsterdam from August 17 [....]
Wednesday, June 29 2005, 10:06AM
The oldest person currently alive lives in Holland, and her name is Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper. She celebrates her 115th birthday today.
Mrs van Andel-Schipper lives in Hoogeveen, in the North of the Netherlands. She will be visited by princess Laurentien, the mayor [....]
Wednesday, June 29 2005, 9:29AM
The tram and bus stops in Amsterdam remain empty today, as most people seem well informed about the public transport strike that is going on today.
In the city of Amsterdam there are no buses, trams, metros or ferries, because of a strike by city civil servants.
The [....]
Wednesday, June 29 2005, 9:23AM
Alderman Hannah Belliot (health care) has said she is in favour of giving cocaine for free to severe drug addicts.
The free prescription would be for the 'hopeless cases', the drug addicts who are not expected to be able to get off their addiction. They are people who [....]
Tuesday, June 28 2005, 8:16PM
The commemoration of the end of slavery in the Netherlands will be held in the Amsterdam Oosterpark this Friday. Minister Verdonk of Immigration and Integration is to visit, but not everyone is happy with that.
The official commemoration of the abolishment of slavery [....]
Sunday, June 26 2005, 5:12PM
Princess Máxima, wife of Crown Prince Willem Alexander, has given birth to her second child, this afternoon.
The child (of which the name is still unknown) was born in the Bronovo Hospital in Den Haag (The Hague), at 2.40 pm today. The baby and her mother are in good [....]
Sunday, June 26 2005, 5:01PM
Tickets for the famous Grachtenfestival can now be bought online.
The Grachtenfestival is a yearly event, now in its 5th year, of which the main event is the Prinsengracht Concert. This concert is on a pontoon in front of the Pulitzer hotel, on August 21, at 4.30 [....]
Saturday, June 25 2005, 5:28PM
A 'serial kisser' has been active in Amsterdam for the past few weeks.
The man (black, about 20 years old, slim build) approaches young women, taps them on the shoulder, and when they turn around he kisses them on the mouth. Or better, he kisses them in the mouth, [....]
Saturday, June 25 2005, 5:21PM
The current building of the Amsterdam City Archives (Gemeentearchief) will become an Oriental cultural institute in 2006.
The city archives are going to be moved to a new building in the centre of Amsterdam (building De Bazel at Vijzelstraat) in 2006.
The [....]
Friday, June 24 2005, 12:30PM
The unions have announced that the public transport strike on Wednesday June 29 is final.
The strike means that local public transport (buses, trams, metros and ferries) will not function in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam. The strike will last 24 hours.
The [....]
Friday, June 24 2005, 10:34AM
After a few serious violent incidents against gays, the image of Amsterdam as Gay Capital has suffered damage.
On a discussion evening, that took place yesterday, a new initiative was presented, called 'the 10 [....]
Wednesday, June 22 2005, 4:52PM
Unions have announced a new local public transport strike in the cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, for Wednesday June 29.
The strike (which is not yet completely certain), is the result of failed negotations for a collective labour agreement for city civil [....]
Wednesday, June 22 2005, 4:40PM
On Friday June 24 a new exhibition will be opened about the old Jewish quarter of Amsterdam, in the Jewish Historical Museum.
From 24 June until 4 September 2005, the Jewish Historical Museum is presenting the summer [....]
Wednesday, June 22 2005, 4:26PM
The letters and drawings that were placed on the location where film maker Theo van Gogh was killed last year will be preserved by the Amsterdam City Archives.
On the spot where Theo van Gogh was killed last year (November 2 2004) many hundreds of letters, drawings, [....]
Monday, June 20 2005, 5:27PM
According to Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Amsterdam has gone up 2 places on the list of 144 cities world-wide.
Amsterdam now ranks 24, as compared to 26 last year.
The most expensive city remains Tokyo, followed by Osaka and London.
Within Europe (and above [....]
Sunday, June 19 2005, 11:59PM
Due to the nice weather this weekend, all roads to the beaches along the Dutch North Sea coast line were full of cars.
To popular places such as Zandvoort and Bloemendaal (main beach resorts for Amsterdam), several miles of traffic jams formed on all roads.
This is a [....]
Sunday, June 19 2005, 11:51PM
While the rabbit population is decreasing in the rest of the Netherlands, the number of rabbits in Amsterdam has increased dramatically.
The churchyard Sint Barbara in Amsterdam West complains that the rabbits eat the flowers and plants that are placed by the graves. [....]
Saturday, June 18 2005, 1:08AM
The Fun Fair Boulevard organizes a special gay day on Monday June 20.
Fun Fair Boulevard is a large fair, with attractions such as a big roller-coaster, a ferris wheel, a mobile wild-water ride track, a free fall tower, and many others. It is located next to the Arena [....]
Friday, June 17 2005, 11:39PM
The fences and road blocks that are now placed around the American Consulate will be removed.
This has been decided by Amsterdam Oud-Zuid, which governs the part of Amsterdam in which the consulate is located. The American consulate is located at the Museumplein [....]
Friday, June 17 2005, 11:33PM
A large police check of taxis at the Central Station of Amsterdam has resulted in 122 fines, orders and reports.
Twenty six vehicles had technical flaws, and 3 drivers lost their driver's licence.
Because of the police check the taxi stand near the station became [....]
Friday, June 17 2005, 10:16AM
Today's railway-strike appears not to lead to many traffic problems.
All train services in the Netherlands are cancelled for today (until 11pm), but as most people are well-informed there don't seem to be many problems.
Traffic around Amsterdam seems to be ok too [....]
Thursday, June 16 2005, 1:18PM
This morning, Queen Beatrix paid a surprise visit to the Albert Cuyp Market.
The visit took place on the occassion of the 100 year anniversary of the most famous street market of the Netherlands.
The Queen bought some hand-made children's clothes for her [....]
Thursday, June 16 2005, 12:51AM
This evening the Queen has officially opened the new theatre Muziekgebouw aan het IJ.
The Queen opened the building by sounding a large Chinese gong.
The Muziekgebouw building replaces the old IJsbreker [....]
Wednesday, June 15 2005, 2:36PM
Rembrandtplein square will be renamed 'Rainbow Square' during gay pride in Amsterdam, on August 5, 6 and 7.
From about 4pm till midnight there will be music and other performances on a big stage in the middle of the square. The event promises to become a major [....]
Tuesday, June 14 2005, 5:41PM
Thirty Dutch train stations will offer a wireless internet connection.
The first train station to get WiFi internet is Utrecht, starting today.
By the end of September 30 larger train stations will have a wireless connection, amongst which Amsterdam Central Station [....]
Tuesday, June 14 2005, 1:35AM
On Saturday June 18, Mr Aqeela Sherrills from Los Angeles will speak at the youth centre Argan.
Aqeela Sherrills grew up in the notorious, war-torn neighbourhood Watts, in South Los Angeles. He lost 13 friends and his son in gang wars. In 1992 he managed to let the [....]
Monday, June 13 2005, 10:33PM
The antique market on the Nieuwmarkt square is opened again.
The well-known market, which is held every summer, has all sorts of antiques, books and other antiquarian items. The location on the Nieuwmarkt square is very appropriate, as the
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Monday, June 13 2005, 10:17PM
The famous Reguliersdwarsstraat will be closed off for traffic during this summer.
The Reguliersdwarsstraat is a street lined with (mainly, but not only, gay) cafe's, restaurants and clubs. On warm summer evenings the street can be packed with people.
Tests in [....]
Monday, June 13 2005, 7:01PM
On Saturday evening, the Amsterdam Admirals (the Amsterdam football team) won the World Bowl title.
The World Bowl is the European version of the Superbowl. In the finals the Amsterdam Admirals beat the German team Berlin Thunder.
It is the first time the Amsterdam [....]
Monday, June 13 2005, 9:56AM
Yesterday a catholic procession took place in the centre of Amsterdam, from the Keizersgracht Church to the Begijnhof.
Last year the procession also took place, and that was the first time since 1578. In that year, Amsterdam became a protestant city and catholic [....]
Monday, June 13 2005, 9:43AM
This weekend the IIFA Awards ceremony took place in the Amsterdam Arena. Not all seats were filled.
The spectacular show was broadcast to 400 million viewers worldwide, but the tickets for the show in the Arena Stadium did not sell as well as expected.
Probably this [....]
Saturday, June 11 2005, 6:42PM
A fourth urban beach has been opened in Amsterdam, near the Rai Congress Centre.
The beach was opened today, and will be accessible to the public starting tomorrow, June 12. It is open until August 21.
The beach [....]
Saturday, June 11 2005, 1:20PM
Yesterday the first mobile attraction park was opened, next to the Arena Stadium.
Fun Fair Boulevard is a large fair, with attractions such as a big roller-coaster (the biggest mobile rollercoaster in [....]
Friday, June 10 2005, 1:21PM
As an ultimatum passed today without a reaction by the employers, there will be railway strike in the Netherlands on June 17.
The strike will last 24 hours. Because the railway workers strike, no train services are possible anywhere in the country.
If you travel on [....]
Friday, June 10 2005, 10:21AM
This morning another freight train has derailed, close to the Central Station of Amsterdam.
A similar accident happened a few days ago, also with a freight train, and also on the West side of the Central Station.
Other than with the previous accident, this time [....]
Thursday, June 09 2005, 4:14PM
The Dutch-Palestinian documentary maker Hany Abu-Assad will be the key guest on IDFA Amsterdam (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam).
He will present his personal top 10 favourite documentaries. The festival will screen his own films as well.
Hany [....]
Wednesday, June 08 2005, 11:46PM
A French judge placed Mr Corneille under guardianship on request of his Russian wife, after a mental breakdown.
His apartment along the Amsterdam Prinsengracht canal has been emptied, and friends worry about what has happened. His whereabouts are currently [....]
Wednesday, June 08 2005, 11:22PM
The train accident that happened a few days ago still causes some delays in train services to the airport, but less than yesterday.
The rail maintenance company expects service will resume to normal on Thursday morning.
Currently, travellers should expect delays of [....]
Wednesday, June 08 2005, 11:17PM
This morning the first 'Bollywood' stars arrived at the airport, and were greeted by enthusiastic fans.
Some 700 admirers had gone to the airport to cheer their idols, most of the girls and women from India.
The first star to arrive was IIFA Chairman Amitabh [....]
Tuesday, June 07 2005, 1:41PM
The traditional open air concert that is normally given on the Museumplein square, is this year in the Concertgebouw.
The reason is that the building of a stage for the open air concert is too expensive.
The open air concert took place for the past 17 years.
The [....]
Tuesday, June 07 2005, 10:12AM
The train accident near Amsterdam Central Station, that happened yesterday, still affects train connections to Schiphol and other destinations.
The accident took place just west of the Central Station, so train services to destinations such as Schiphol airport, [....]
Tuesday, June 07 2005, 12:11AM
This evening, a freight train has derailed close to the Central Station of Amsterdam.
The train services to and from Schiphol Airport are affected - there are hardly any trains.
Also trains to Haarlem, Alkmaar and Zaandam are affected.
Travellers should count on [....]
Monday, June 06 2005, 4:29PM
The Amsterdam-Beijing Classic Car Endurance Rally, the biggest ever such rally across the Euro-Asian continent, will start on July 15, 2006, organizers announced on Sunday.
The route will start in front of the Royal Palace on Dam Square. The rally ends in Beijing, on [....]
Monday, June 06 2005, 12:55AM
Today the open air theatre in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam has opened.
The opening performance was by Freek de Jonge, a famous Dutch comedian.
The theatre is in the middle of the park, and entrance is free to all performances. As tradition requires, the theatre will [....]
Friday, June 03 2005, 10:38PM
Tomorrow (Saturday) is the ninth Legalize 'streetrave' in Amsterdam. The demonstration is allowed, the afterparty has been prohibited by the authorities.
The demonstration does not go through the centre of Amsterdam, but mainly through Amsterdam East.
The
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Friday, June 03 2005, 10:21PM
The metro in Amsterdam has come to a standstill from 7.30 pm this evening. The cause is the thunderstorm that went over Amsterdam this afternoon and evening.
All metro stations have been closed, and only line 51 to RAI is partially in service.
It is unclear at this [....]
Friday, June 03 2005, 3:29PM
Just a week before the Bollywood Festival starts, it turns out that only E 50,000 of sponsor money has been found.
It was hoped that 1 million Euro of sponsor money could be raised.
Amsterdam Partners, [....]
Friday, June 03 2005, 1:15PM
The latest figures from the European Union show that Holland has the highest penetration of broadband internet in households.
The number of broadband lines in the EU is now over 40 million (total population is about 350,000) and take-up is growing faster than a year [....]
Thursday, June 02 2005, 5:04PM
Amsterdam Culinair is a new event, intended to be a yearly recurring event, on which Amsterdam presents its culinary qualities.
The event takes place on the Nieuwmarkt Square, where restaurants present their culinary art in about 22 tents.
The Nieuwmarkt square is [....]
Wednesday, June 01 2005, 11:16PM
The Dutch have voted massively against the Constitutional Treaty for the European Union.
About 62 percent have voted 'No', 38 percent have voted 'Yes'. Together with the (to Dutch standards) high turn-out of 63.4%, the resounding 'No' vote has baffled politicians and [....]
Wednesday, June 01 2005, 4:46PM
In the past few days, two sea-lions were born in Amsterdam's Zoo, Artis.
The two mother and their puppies are both doing well. The babies have not yet been named, as it is unknown at the moment what their gender is.
Sea-lions are not born in the water. In the coming [....]
Wednesday, June 01 2005, 4:32PM
Tuesday evening a man drowned in the pond in the Oosterpark, located in Amsterdam East, after cycling into it.
Bystanders have seen him go into the pond, swim around for a bit and wave to people. Then he went under, and because he didn't come up any more the emergency [....]
Tuesday, May 31 2005, 10:32PM
The Euro has dropped below to almost 1.23 US Dollar in the past few days.
Experts say this has to do with the outcome of the referendum in France about the new constitutional treaty of the European Union. The French 'No' result kindles fears in the market that [....]
Tuesday, May 31 2005, 9:32AM
This morning the police have vacated some houses that were occupied by squatters.
The houses are located at Rokin, in the centre of Amsterdam. In the early morning the police surrounded the buildings, and evicted the inhabitants.
Later on the day, the villa '
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Monday, May 30 2005, 10:45AM
The public transport strike that was planned for this morning, has ended at 8.30am.
The strike did not lead to many problems, most people seemed to be informed and had arranged for alternative transportation.
In the afternoon there is a meeting of city workers near [....]
Saturday, May 28 2005, 7:39PM
Starting today, everyone can speak his/her mind in the Oosterpark in Amsterdam East.
The idea to have a speakers corner ('Spreeksteen') in the Oosterpark originated after the assassination of filmmaker Theo van Gogh, last year November. He was killed near one of the [....]
Friday, May 27 2005, 5:39PM
This afternoon, a man has been shot in the Chinese restaurant 'Nam Tin' at Jodenbreestraat, in the centre of Amsterdam.
The gunman walked into the restaurant and fired at the victim. Then he ran out. He has not yet been caught. The victim is severely injured and has [....]
Friday, May 27 2005, 1:37PM
From May 28 to September 4 there will be extra trains between Amsterdam Central Station and Zandvoort beach.
There will be 2 extra trains per hour, between 9.25am and 7 pm.
The last train from Zandvoort back to Amsterdam leaves 0.56 in the night.
The trains take [....]
Thursday, May 26 2005, 7:50PM
This year, Amsterdam is also amongst the more than 50 cities in the world where the World Naked Bike Ride is held.
The day is held on Saturday, June 11th.
The ride is 'the worlds largest naked protest against oil dependency and car culture in the history of [....]
Thursday, May 26 2005, 7:23PM
The cyclist union, together with inhabitants of IJburg, will protest against the lack of space for bicycles in the new tram to IJburg.
There will be a special 'ticket window' where you can reserve bicycle places in the tram. Currently it has been decided that a [....]
Wednesday, May 25 2005, 1:12PM
Haile Gebrselassie will appear on the startline of the 30th Amsterdam Marathon on 16 October this year.
The 32-years old Gebrselassie – worldwide recognized as the best long distance runner all times – will run his second marathon ever. “Haile Gebrselassie received [....]
Wednesday, May 25 2005, 1:03PM
The chestnut tree in the garden behind the Anne Frank House can stay for some time.
The tree, which has become famous because it was the tree that Anne Frank could see from her hiding place, and which she described in her diary, has a disease.
Because it is the [....]
Wednesday, May 25 2005, 12:54PM
The city of Amsterdam expects to have an agreement with the gay bars and saunas to make the bars cleaner and promote safe sex more.
The agreement has been reached together with the city's health department and the Schorerstichting (a gay/lesbian health [....]
Monday, May 23 2005, 10:46PM
Starting this autumn a trial will be held allowing faster security checks for travellers between the Netherlands and the US.
The test will be held on 2 airports: Schiphol Amsterdam and New York Kennedy airport.
In order to make use of the faster checks, passengers [....]
Saturday, May 21 2005, 3:54PM
Due to failed negotations about labour conditions, civil servants employed by municipalities will probably go on strike.
The first actions by the public transport workers in Amsterdam are planned for May 30 (6am to 9am and 1pm to 4pm) and June 9 the entire [....]
Saturday, May 21 2005, 1:02AM
Three flower bulb dealers on the famous Flower Market in Amsterdam have been prohibited to continue the sale of flower bulbs.
The 3 shop owner run 5 of the 15 flower bulb stands on the market, which is located in the Singel canal in the centre of Amsterdam.
On May [....]
Wednesday, May 18 2005, 10:21PM
The new tramline 26 to IJburg, the new islands in Amsterdam East, will be officially opened on May 28.
Everyone can have a free ride on that day.
On May 28 the new fast tram line between Central Station and IJburg will be officially opened by transport minister Mrs [....]
Wednesday, May 18 2005, 6:55PM
The city of Amsterdam is going to introduce a plan to do something about the persisting chaos on the taxi market, which is a result of the liberalization, a number of years ago.
With the 'Actieplan Taxi', the city wants to improve the quality of the taxi market in [....]
Wednesday, May 18 2005, 12:06PM
Starting September 1 2005, tickets for the theatres Concertgebouw and the Stadsschouwburg are valid as transport tickets on Amsterdam buses, trams and metros.
The 2 theatres have agreed this with the GVB, the municipal [....]
Wednesday, May 18 2005, 10:42AM
The ship 'Amsterdam', will not take part in the 'grand parade' of tall ships that will sail to Amsterdam at the beginning of Sail Amsterdam 2005.
The 'Amsterdam' is a replica of the 17th century tall ship 'Amsterdam', that sank on its maiden voyage. The ship is moored [....]
Tuesday, May 17 2005, 1:02PM
With the replacement of alderman Frits Huffnagel (responsible for financial affairs) by Laetitia Griffith, 50% of the aldermen of the city of Amsterdam is a member of an ethnic minority.
Also, half of them are women.
Amsterdam is run by the College of Aldermen and [....]
Monday, May 16 2005, 7:18PM
This year, the city of Amsterdam will have 4 urban beaches - even 5 if you support a wide interpretation of the word 'beach'.
(see also: Extra trains to Zandvoort beach)
The first beach is the Blijburg beach [....]
Monday, May 16 2005, 6:38PM
The Amsterdam men's team won the finals today of the English team from Reading, with 1-0.
The Amsterdam team won the 32nd edition of the hockey tournament on their own field, the Wagener Stadium in the Amsterdam Wood (Amsterdamse Bos).
It is the first time in its [....]
Monday, May 16 2005, 12:21PM
In the night of Saturday on Sunday a fire broke out in the well-known Amsterdam disco Kingdom Venue.
In the club, located at Jan van Galenstraat in Amsterdam West, there were still some 200 people present when the fire broke out around a quarter to 5 in the [....]
Saturday, May 14 2005, 12:33PM
The attack that happened on April 30 on a gay couple walking hand in hand in the centre of Amsterdam has led to many concerned reactions in the Netherlands and Amsterdam.
On May 17 there is a short ''queer love and peace'' demonstration (a ''
Friday, May 13 2005, 7:12PM
Inspectors of the Water management Authority of Amsterdam are going to prosecute canal tour boats that operate without a licence.
For a company to legally organize cruises for tourists in the Amsterdam canals, a licence is needed.
The Water Authority says this law [....]
Thursday, May 12 2005, 11:41PM
The two architects Cruz and Ortiz are having doubts on whether they want to make a new design for the Rijksmuseum redecoration.
The Rijksmuseum (famous for the Nightwatch and other Dutch masters) is currently under reconstruction. The architects in charge are Mr Cruz [....]
Tuesday, May 10 2005, 8:02PM
The province of Noord-Holland will invest E 9 million to restore the Stelling van Amsterdam (Defence Line of Amsterdam).
The Defence Line of Amsterdam is a circular defence around the [....]
Tuesday, May 10 2005, 7:30PM
The GVB (the Amsterdam municipal public transport company) opened a central observation and control system today.
The centre, located at Arlandaweg near the Sloterdijk train station, is a traffic control system and central observation point.
Four employees will [....]
Monday, May 09 2005, 5:14PM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will start taking tests with not admitting passengers any more who are late for their flight.
The measure is first going to be tested on some flights, in order to see how passengers react.
KLM says that often passengers are only late because [....]
Sunday, May 08 2005, 1:41PM
The latest list of crime statistics shows Amsterdam as nr 4 on the list of most dangerous cities - after Rotterdam, Arnhem and Eindhoven.
This means that in Rotterdam you have the highest possibility to fall victim to some form of crime. For Rotterdam this is caused [....]
Saturday, May 07 2005, 10:47AM
Approximately hundred historic army vehicles will enter Amsterdam, in a parade that commemorates the liberation of Amsterdam on May 7 1945.
For some time the parade was uncertain, as the mayor indicated that was not enough police capacity to guide the parade. This has [....]
Saturday, May 07 2005, 10:34AM
The placement of security cameras in the streets of central Amsterdam has helped to reduce crime and drug trade.
In several streets near the Central Station and in and near the Red Light District police monitored security cameras have reduced the crime problems in [....]
Saturday, May 07 2005, 10:25AM
On Queensday, April 30, a gay man was attacked and beaten up by 7 men.
The victim, Mr Chris Crain, editor in chief of the gay magazine Washington Blade, was walking hand in hand with his boyfriend, in the morning of April 30, near the famous Leidseplein square in [....]
Thursday, May 05 2005, 11:14PM
After 3 years of court battles, the night club Escape is allowed to place the biggest tv screen in Europe above the entrance door.
The Escape is one of the biggest and most well-known clubs in Amsterdam.
The tv screen is supposed to make the Rembrandtplein square [....]
Thursday, May 05 2005, 10:51PM
Two dogs attacked a flock of sheep in a meadow in Amsterdam North, near the Durgerdammerdijk.
Three sheep were killed, and 15 others - of which 8 lambs - were wounded.
The dogs belonged to Spanish tourists, who are vacationing in Amsterdam with a recreational [....]
Wednesday, May 04 2005, 12:34PM
May 4 and 5 are Rembrance Day and Liberation Day in the Netherlands.
On May 4 the victims of the second World War are commemorated throughout the Netherlands.
At 8pm there is a 2 minutes' silence observed everywhere. Cafe's will switch off the music, traffic will [....]
Monday, May 02 2005, 12:58PM
A tanker has hit a sailing yacht in the IJ, the water behind the Central Station.
A family of 4 was on the sailing yacht, but they could jump into the water before the tanker hit the yacht.
The yacht was completely destroyed.
The family (with 2 children) was saved [....]
Monday, May 02 2005, 12:43PM
Queensday 2005 has been a nice day, according to all parties involved.
Some 400,000 people visited Amsterdam on April 30, compared to 500,000 last year.
All hotels and apartments were fully booked, the tourist office had to resort to accommodation outside [....]
Saturday, April 30 2005, 12:13AM
A digital monument website has been opened, commemorating all Jews who were persecuted in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation.
The Digital Monument to the Jewish Community in the Netherlands is an Internet monument dedicated to preserving the memory of all men, [....]
Friday, April 29 2005, 1:21AM
Amsterdam is gearing up for the Queen's birthday celebrations on April 30.
All over town there are signs of the big flea market that is traditionally part of the Queen's birthday celebration. The city will be flooded by some 500,000 to 1,000,000 visitors, looking for [....]
Wednesday, April 27 2005, 12:25PM
The new music theatre building 'Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ' has an open day on May 1.
The building will be open from 12noon to 9pm.
There will be several free concerts, an information market, tours, and the new cafe Star Ferry will be open all day.
The theatre is [....]
Wednesday, April 27 2005, 11:59AM
A survey by newspaper Trouw has shown that the mayors of the 30 largest cities of the Netherlands are in majority in favour of legalization of the production of soft drugs.
Twenty of the 30 mayors are in favour of legalization, 4 are against, 6 have not given their [....]
Tuesday, April 26 2005, 4:31PM
An evening for public participation, organized by the authorities of Amsterdam Centrum resulted in chaos, yesterday.
The public meeting, in the City Hall, attracted many more visitors than expected. The atmosphere before the meeting grew so aggressive, that it was [....]
Monday, April 25 2005, 1:59PM
The gay consumer fair 'Rainbow Experience' has drawn far less visitors than expected.
The fair was held in the RAI Congress Centre this weekend, and at least 20,000 visitors were expected.
However, the fair has almost ended and only 3,500 visitors attended the fair [....]
Sunday, April 24 2005, 10:08PM
More than 200 survivors of the Ravensbrück concentration camp commemorated the liberation of the camp today.
The commemoration was held at the Ravensbrück monument, located on the Museumplein square.
Between 1935 and 1945 92,000 women and children were killed in [....]
Friday, April 15 2005, 11:50PM
Yesterday, police held a large check of drivers and cars, in Amsterdam.
Three hundred police staff, and staff of the Social Service, the City Transport Company and the Tax Department worked together to check on hundreds of car drivers at various points in [....]
Thursday, April 14 2005, 12:11AM
A falcon pair (peregrines) have decided to nest in the chimney of an electricity plant, the Hemwegcentrale.
The falcons are one of the fastest birds of prey in the world, and very rare in the Netherlands.
The electricity plant is located in the wester harbour area of [....]
Tuesday, April 12 2005, 9:04PM
The American jeans producer Levi Strauss refuses to supply the clothing stores of America Today with new jeans.
America Today is locally known for selling Levi's below the standard retail price. Also, America [....]
Monday, April 11 2005, 11:57AM
The Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been placed on the list of 100 'most influential people' by Time Magazine.
The list ('TIME's list of the men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world') is published yearly.
Hirsi Ali is a [....]
Sunday, April 10 2005, 9:27PM
Alderman Guido Frankfurther opened the new Urilift on the Rembrandtplein square, last Friday. It will replace its plastic predecessor.
The Urilift is a special kind of urinal (men only) that can sink into the ground, [....]
Friday, April 08 2005, 11:25PM
Skeletons were found today at the graveyard that was uncovered last week, at the archeological dig at Rokin.
At the location of the graves that were
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Thursday, April 07 2005, 11:41PM
The last remaining 17th century mansion in Amsterdam, 'Frankendael', will lose its last inhabitant.
Frankendael is a beautiful large house, located in the East part of Amsterdam in burrough [....]
Wednesday, April 06 2005, 12:32AM
Large parts of the centre of Amsterdam and neighbourhood 'de Pijp' were hit by a electricity outage this evening, between 9pm and 11 pm.
Probably the outage has to do with a fire that broke out around 8.30pm in a transformer kiosk of the electricity network, in [....]
Tuesday, April 05 2005, 9:40AM
The Van Gogh Museum has started to sell admission tickets through its website. The tickets can be printed at home.
Ordering tickets online has a major advantage: you can print out your own ticket and when you come to the museum, you can enter without having to stand [....]
Tuesday, April 05 2005, 9:35AM
Starting this season, the Amsterdam Pass has become the 'I Amsterdam Card'.
The 'I Amsterdam Card' is a special pass (which looks like a credit card) developed for tourists, which gives access to many museums and attractions. Also, a canal boat tour is included and [....]
Monday, April 04 2005, 5:59PM
Archeologists of the city of Amsterdam have found an old graveyard that belonged to the former 'Nieuwezijds Chapel', located near the Rokin, near Dam Square.
The find is apparently one of the largest of the last years. The floor that was found contains hundreds of [....]
Monday, April 04 2005, 12:33AM
The cruise ship 'River Duchess' rammed the restaurant Wilhelminadok today, located along the IJ water just behind Central Station.
The ship was sailing out when it was discovered that the steering mechanism failed. It could only go straight on and rammed the Italian [....]
Friday, April 01 2005, 11:33AM
The Muziektheather, Amsterdam's main opera theatre, will be rented by Joop van den Ende's theatre company to stage 'Sleeping Beauty on Ice' this summer.
Because of subsidy cuts, the ballet performance that was originally planned for July had to be cancelled.
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Thursday, March 31 2005, 2:31PM
The mayor of Amsterdam has decided not to give permission for the parade of old army vehicles, that has been part of the Liberation Day festivities in earlier years.
In 2000 and 1995 the foundation 'Keep them Rolling' [....]
Wednesday, March 30 2005, 5:03PM
Environmentalists have protested against a new pier that Schiphol Airport is building for the cheap air companies.
They attached a large banner to Schiphol Plaza, saying 'The sky has a limit. Clean air now'.
The contend that the new pier is not in accordance with European rules for air quality.
The new pier enables more flights to and from Schiphol Airport, and thus creates more pollution caused by the planes, and by the passenger cars (58% of the transport to and from the airport is by car).
Schiphol Airport denies that the new pier is against any rules.
Tuesday, March 29 2005, 9:40PM
A general practitioner in Amsterdam has won a case against 2 health insurance companies.
The doctor - 81 years old - was refused a contract with 2 major health insurance companies. The companies say he is too old to function as a general practicioner and do not want [....]
Monday, March 28 2005, 10:14AM
The smell of smoke that is present in large parts of the Netherlands, also in Amsterdam, appears to be caused by Easter fires.
Because of fog and lack of wind, the smell doesn't get blown away.
In many parts of Europe, huge bonfires are lighted on hilltops and in [....]
Sunday, March 27 2005, 11:06AM
In the night of March 26/27, Daylight Saving Time has started in Europe.
At 2am in the night the clocks were moved forward to 3am. This happened in all member states of the European Union (except in Britain, where clocks were moved forward at 1am).
The change will [....]
Friday, March 25 2005, 5:05PM
The International Indian Film Academy Award ceremony will take place on June 9, 10 and 11.
The ceremony is a major event in the Indian film industry (nicknamed 'Bollywood' as the industry is located near Bombay), expected to attract some 400 million tv viewers [....]
Friday, March 25 2005, 4:40PM
Pathé Arena (cinema in Amsterdam South-East) opened the first IMAX screen in Amsterdam, yesterday.
The first film to be shown on the screen is 'Robots'.
IMAX shows the movie on a very large screen, with extremely clear images and sounds.
The cinema is located in [....]
Friday, March 25 2005, 4:30PM
Shell, market leader in the Netherlands for gas (petrol), raised the price at the gas stations for the third time this week.
'Euro unleaded' will now cost EUR 1.319 per liter, and 'Super plus' will be EUR 1.373 per liter.
The new price record is caused by the [....]
Thursday, March 24 2005, 8:50AM
Today the famous Keukenhof flower show park opens its doors to the public.
Yesterday, the official opening was performed by HRH Princess Margriet.
It will be open from today until May 20.
The flower park attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world [....]
Thursday, March 24 2005, 8:34AM
Starting today, Amsterdam will have a Last Minute Ticket shop for theatre and music performances.
This is located at Leidseplein 26 (at the Uit Bureau office), and is open from 12pm to 7.30 pm, 7 days a week.
In the shop you can buy tickets for performances that [....]
Wednesday, March 23 2005, 12:18AM
The Four Tops and the Temptations will perform in the Heineken Music Hall, on November 15.
The Four Tops and the Temptations are well-known music groups of the sixties. On November 15 they will perform together in the Heineken Music Hall, in Amsterdam South-East (near [....]
Tuesday, March 22 2005, 1:20PM
Inspectors of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food quality have seized a box of smoked bats on an open air street market in Amsterdam South-East.
The inspectors say the bats are from Ghana. There they are used as medicine against asthma and bronchitis. The [....]
Monday, March 21 2005, 11:52PM
On a building site near the Rijksmuseum, a large fire has broken out.
On a construction site, at the front of the building, building materials have cought fire.
A thick black smoke spread over large parts of the inner city.
The fire department closed off part of [....]
Saturday, March 19 2005, 9:29AM
The entire Stadhouderskade (between Amsteldijk and Overtoom) will be closed for traffic between March 18 and April 29.
Stadhouderskade is a main road around the centre of Amsterdam, close to the Leidseplein, and passing in front of the Rijksmuseum.
The closure is [....]
Friday, March 18 2005, 8:55AM
The mayor (Mr Job Cohen) calls it 'undesirable' that this event takes place in the city, since it conflicts with tackling aggression and violence in Amsterdam.
Since the convention ('Exhibition & Conference for [....]
Monday, March 14 2005, 11:35PM
The market salesmen of the famous fleemarket at Waterlooplein in Amsterdam are furious about the plan of the Amsterdam Centrum authorities to place a public toilet at the entrance of the market.
The plan is to place the toilet near the
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Monday, March 14 2005, 4:31PM
The acoustics of the new concert building 'Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ' (formerly known as the IJsbreker) get wide acclaim from experts.
Just a little bit of music performed by the Schönberg Ensemble, last weekend, proved for specialists that the acoustics of the new hall [....]
Sunday, March 13 2005, 10:13PM
The yearly silent procession in Amsterdam, has drawn 8000 pilgrims last nights.
The procession is held every year, in veneration of the Miracle of Amsterdam. The procession takes place in the [....]
Saturday, March 12 2005, 1:12PM
Amsterdam has dropped out of the top 10 of cities with the best quality of life, according to Mercer.
It is now number 12 on that list.
In the Worldwide Quality of Living Survey (carried out annually), Zürich (Switzerland) is number 1, followed by Vancouver (Canada), [....]
Thursday, March 10 2005, 12:52PM
In a reaction to the decision of the Oud Zuid authorities that the main entrance of the new Rijksmuseum building can not be inside the arch of the building, the Rijksmuseum organizes an open day on Tuesday March 15 (between 1 and 6 pm).
On this day the Rijksmuseum [....]
Wednesday, March 09 2005, 5:11PM
Dutch law will be changed so as to make it possible for homosexual comples to legally adopt foreign children. Presently, only adoption of Dutch children is allowed.
Although gay marriage is already possible for some years in the Netherlands, adoption of children from [....]
Wednesday, March 09 2005, 11:53AM
Yesterday Bellini's opera 'Norma' had its first public performance in the Opera House in Amsterdam. The star soprano Nelly Miricioiu had to give up her performance to her replacement Lucia Aliberti.
Miricioiu got an acute problem with her voice, so after the break she [....]
Wednesday, March 09 2005, 11:37AM
The Rijksmuseum, currently undergoing a major reconstruction, will not get an entrance in the arch in the building.
The arch is a passage under the Rijksmuseum building, originally intended for a tram line. The tram line never came, but there has always been a road [....]
Sunday, March 06 2005, 5:40PM
The American Hotel, one of the most famous hotels of Amsterdam, has been sold to the Eden Group.
The Eden Group is a group of 7 hotels run by the Dijkstra family.
The American Hotel (built in 1902) is famous for its architecture, a beautiful example of Art Nouveau [....]
Sunday, March 06 2005, 5:20PM
The problems caused by the snowfall, in the past few days, appear to be over.
Road traffic and public transport are not experiencing problems any more.
Schiphol airport has resumed its normal service and all runways are in use again. There are still some (a few) [....]
Sunday, March 06 2005, 5:15PM
Mr Job Cohen, mayor of Amsterdam, has won the title 'Best Mayor in the Netherlands'.
The title could be won as part of a tv programme, in which viewers could also vote.
Although he got somewhat fewer votes from the viewers, the jury gave him so many points that he [....]
Saturday, March 05 2005, 2:52PM
The Gay Business Association can start organizing the yearly Canal Pride boat tour, after withdrawal of the second applicant for a licence.
The Canal Pride is one of the largest events in Amsterdam, normally [....]
Friday, March 04 2005, 1:29PM
Schiphol airport continues to have problems with the weather.
Fog deteriorated this morning the problems already caused by the heavy snowfall, and the cold.
It is expected that delays and flight cancellations will continue during the day, also because more snow is [....]
Friday, March 04 2005, 12:32AM
The homeless people in Amsterdam will not have to spend the night outside in the coming cold night.
Temperatures are expected to drop to -9 degrees Celsius in Amsterdam, causing various help institutions to create extra sleeping places for the homeless.
'We can not [....]
Thursday, March 03 2005, 10:19AM
Public transport in Amsterdam is running again, after a day with the worst snowfall in decades.
Trains to and from the airport may still be affected.
Thousands of travellers were forced to spend the night on the airport, as many flights were delayed or cancelled. [....]
Thursday, March 03 2005, 12:00AM
On Wednesday evening most pubic transport in the country came to a standstill because of the snowfall.
In Amsterdam buses and most trams stopped as the GVB judged it would be irresponsible to keep on driving. Also, the night buses will not ride.
Whether bus and [....]
Wednesday, March 02 2005, 10:42AM
Snowfall is causing delays at the Amsterdam Schiphol airport.
Because of the snow only one landing strip can be used. At the time of writing the Schiphol website was unreachable, so we can not supply further information.
The [....]
Tuesday, March 01 2005, 10:47AM
The robbery of E 75 million worth of diamonds and other jewellery has led to concerns by politicians and air companies.
The robbery happened last Friday, at Schiphol Airport. The robbers were able to seize a transport of valuables, and leave the airport area after [....]
Tuesday, March 01 2005, 10:39AM
The occupation of the main building of the University of Amsterdam (located at Spui, in the centre of Amsterdam), was ended by the police today.
The student occupation was carried out by students, who wanted to protest against the increase of enrollment fees, and the [....]
Saturday, February 26 2005, 10:00PM
The 26th Amsterdam Antiquarian Book & Print Fair will open on Thursday March 3, in the Passengers Terminal Amsterdam.
The Fair announces on its website that it has reserved the PTA building for the next 10 [....]
Friday, February 25 2005, 6:14PM
Today there was the traditional commemoration of the February strike in Amsterdam, that took place in 1941 in occupied Amsterdam.
The February strike was started by train workers, on February 25 1941, as a protest against the arrest of Jewish citizens by the Nazis. It [....]
Friday, February 25 2005, 12:21AM
With the official opening of the new electronic doors in the metro station Waterlooplein, the introduction of the new national public transport chip-card has come closer by.
In 2006, the chip-card will replace the well-known (notorious)
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Wednesday, February 23 2005, 9:36PM
From 24 February until 31 May 2005 Madurodam is celebrating the fiftieth birthday of miffy, writer and illustrator Dick Bruna's most famous creation.
For half a century now, Miffy, in Holland known as Nijntje, has [....]
Wednesday, February 23 2005, 4:41PM
The flu epidemic is spreading in the Netherlands. It is now on a level of 27 cases per 10,000 inhabitants (going up from 15 cases, a week earlier).
Worst hit are the provinces in the South of the Netherlands, but the flu is spreading into Northern direction.
At the [....]
Tuesday, February 22 2005, 5:13PM
Shop-lifters in Amsterdam may have to pay for damage they cause.
The city is going to have trial with letting the thieves pay for direct and indirect damage.
Indirect damage is (for instance) the cost of closing the shop temporarily, the cost of the security [....]
Tuesday, February 22 2005, 5:08PM
Chanel has opened its first boutique in Amsterdam, in the PC Hooftstraat.
The shop is the first Chanel Boutique to open in the Netherlands. The PC Hoofstraat seems a natural location, as it is commonly known as the most upscale shopping street in Amsterdam.
The [....]
Monday, February 21 2005, 8:38PM
Mr Frits Huffnagel and the Amsterdam Tourist Board are 'not pleased' about the latest promotion by Transavia Airlines, containing a hemp plant leaf.
Transavia Airlines runs the promotion in Barcelona, Spain. The hemp leaf appears on the city buses.
The City of [....]
Sunday, February 20 2005, 12:42PM
Today is the first day that the new Bimhuis stages performances in their new building along the IJ (the water behind the Central Station).
The Bimhuis is the Netherlands' most important centre for jazz and improvised music. Its building at the Oudeschans in the [....]
Sunday, February 20 2005, 1:13AM
The museum EnergeticA may close, due to lack of funding.
The museum has collected artefacts about energy technique and household appliances. Built up by volunteers, it now has lost virtually all funding by the former public utility works. These gas and electricity [....]
Friday, February 18 2005, 10:33PM
A judge has ruled that the tram garage in Amsterdam Old-West and the bus garage in Amsterdam East have to be vacated as of March 1 and April 1.
The buildings are now occupied by the MUSA foundation (with [....]
Friday, February 18 2005, 12:45PM
Within the last year, three dead foxes have been found just East of the Centre of Amsterdam.
The dead foxes were found by Martin Melchers, city ecologist of Amsterdam, and by the Animal Ambulance (Dierenambulance).
Foxes live on the Zeeburger Island, in the East of [....]
Wednesday, February 16 2005, 5:00PM
A court of law in Utrecht has ruled that a hairdresser, who had said to his boss he has the HIV-virus, should not have been fired.
The hairdresser had not said during the job interview that he has HIV (the virus that can cause AIDS). He did not experience any medical [....]
Tuesday, February 15 2005, 3:49PM
The German car manufacturer Audi will sponsor the Stedelijk Museum (the Amsterdam museum of modern art). Though plans for sponsoring date from 1999, the plans have now been finalized.
In 1999 a lot of commotion existed because of the sponsor plans by the Stedelijk [....]
Monday, February 14 2005, 10:06PM
At the occasion of Valentine's Day, the Animal Protection Society in the Netherlands has started a campaign for cat castration.
According to the Society, there are too many cats, resulting in a growing number of stray cats, abandoned cats and full animal [....]
Monday, February 14 2005, 9:31PM
After a boycot of almost a year, Russia will admit Dutch flower bulbs (and other agricultural produce) again, starting February 15.
The flower export from the Netherlands to Russia (worth EUR 500 million per year) was prohibited by the Russians, because they had found [....]
Monday, February 14 2005, 9:07PM
The two Jewish jazz singers Johnny and Jones now have their own display in the Amsterdam Historical Museum.
The 2 boys (real names: Max Kannewasser and Nol van Wesel) became famous with their hit song 'Mijnheer Dinges, weet niet wat swing is!!', before the second [....]
Monday, February 14 2005, 11:52AM
Amsterdam proposes the return of the car-free Sunday, on September 18 2005.
Car-free Sunday is a one-day event, on which cars are not allowed in a part of the inner city. In the past the car-free Sunday has been held several times, but last year the city was not one [....]
Sunday, February 13 2005, 11:00AM
The new North-South line, the metro line connecting Amsterdam North with the Amsterdam World Trade Center, leads to a lot of damage and extra cost.
Shop owners along the line are entitled to reparation of damages, but complain the city is slow with payments, and the [....]
Saturday, February 12 2005, 7:16PM
Former astronaut Mr Wubbo Ockels (now professor at the Technical University of Delft) has said a 'superbus' may well be an alternative for the magnetically levitated fast train between Amsterdam and the town of Groningen.
The so-called '
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Friday, February 11 2005, 1:47PM
The first official indoor skateboard park in Amsterdam has been opened yesterday by Alderman Ahmed Aboutaleb.
The skateboard park (in Dutch) is located in the North part of Amsterdam, in a former dockyard [....]
Friday, February 11 2005, 1:32PM
The World Press Photo 2004 has been awarded to Arko Datta (from India).
The winning picture shows an Indian woman mourning the death of a relative who was killed in the Asian tsunami catastrophe.
This year the World Press Photo contest broke two records: the number [....]
Thursday, February 10 2005, 1:44PM
Several illegal housing agencies have been closed down by the police.
The agencies intermediate for long term accommodation in Amsterdam, many of the properties being regulated under social housing law.
Since there is a shortage of cheap accommodation, the city tries [....]
Thursday, February 10 2005, 9:04AM
Children of the Montessori School got history lessons yesterday, by playing a game in which they contact the Middle Ages with their cell phones.
The cell phones are UMTS phones (cell phones with fast internet connections), which also have GPS (Global Positioning [....]
Wednesday, February 09 2005, 11:25AM
The bicycle taxi and motor taxi that now operate in the centre of Amsterdam, are allowed to stay.
Officially, the motor taxis and bicyle taxis were on trial. Research shows that citizens and tourists appreciate the taxis. The Amsterdam Centre authorities have now [....]
Tuesday, February 08 2005, 6:18PM
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has today been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Leiden.
She received the doctorate for the fact that, since her accession to the throne almost 25 years ago, she has continued to give freedom a central role in the [....]
Monday, February 07 2005, 9:57PM
The ads are placed on the backside of the coat of several homeless persons. The ads are an idea of the Augustinian Nuns in Amsterdam, and a source of income for the homeless. They call it Streetvertising.
The new club evening is called 'The Outcast' ('Holland's first [....]
Monday, February 07 2005, 1:22AM
The City of Amsterdam investigates the possibility of housing students in the vacant office spaces in Amsterdam.
At the moment there is a shortage of cheap housing possibilities for students in Amsterdam. At the same time, there is about 1,000,000 square meters of [....]
Sunday, February 06 2005, 12:34PM
The Hema has won the Sikkens Prize 2004. The prize was handed over yesterday evening in the Beurs van Berlage.
The prize is awarded every year to an architect, artist or organization that uses colour in a characteristic, creative or independent way.
Read More
Saturday, February 05 2005, 12:28PM
The tickets for the U2 concert in the Amsterdam Arena Stadium for July 13 were sold out in 20 minutes today.
Two extra concerts will be given, on July 15 and 16, and all 150,000 tickets are already sold out.
The normal prices for the tickets are E 50 to E 70, but it [....]
Friday, February 04 2005, 8:25PM
The concert that will be given by the famous group U2 from Ireland in the Amsterdam Arena has led to outrageous prices on the black market.
Official questions have been asked in the Dutch Parliament about the phenomenon of black marketeering of tickets for big [....]
Friday, February 04 2005, 7:32PM
The oldest children's playground of Amsterdam (U.J. Klaren) will not have to make way for a parking garage.
The playground is located at the 2e Weteringplantsoen in the centre of Amsterdam, near the De Pijp neighbourhood.
It has been in existence for 125 years, but a [....]
Friday, February 04 2005, 2:52PM
Pathé Arena cinema (in Amsterdam South-East) will get an IMAX screen this spring.
An IMAX screen is a very large movie screen (around 200 m2 / 2150 sq.ft.), designed to give the viewer the ultimate movie experience.
It is expected to be ready this spring.
Pathé [....]
Wednesday, February 02 2005, 4:51PM
3300 fines have been given in the Netherlands since January 1, the date from which everyone older than 14 is obliged to carry a valid id.
Police can ask everyone for valid identification if there is a situation of unrest or danger. For instance, this may happen in [....]
Wednesday, February 02 2005, 2:45PM
Schiphol Amsterdam airport will create a new gate, especially for low budget flights.
The new gate (H gate) will not connect the planes with a special covered corridor, so that passengers will have to walk from the plane to the airport building in the open air.
This [....]
Wednesday, February 02 2005, 2:33PM
The VU University in Amsterdam will be granted a subsidy to set up an imam curriculum for imams in the Netherlands.
As yet, there is no religious education for muslim clergy in the Netherlands.
Imams are now educated in muslim countries (such as Turkey and Morocco), [....]
Tuesday, February 01 2005, 8:50AM
Videoland, the market leader in the Netherlands for video rentals, announced it will soon only rent dvd's.
Around 90 percent of all rentals are now DVD's, and competitors like Moviemax, BVDO/Filmstation, Filmclub and Ster report similar figures.
Exact dates are not [....]
Monday, January 31 2005, 5:51PM
The construction of the ice-skating rink has finally started. The rink will open on Wednesday.
After a lot of problems with the city authorities, the Stuy brothers finally have managed to obtain a licence for the ice-skating rink on Dam Square, the central square in [....]
Monday, January 31 2005, 5:46PM
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (1938) celebrates her 67th birthday today.
The birthday is celebrated in private, at home with her family.
The public celebration is traditionally held on April 30 (Queen's Day), which is really the birthday of her mother, the late [....]
Sunday, January 30 2005, 11:08PM
The authorities of Amsterdam Centre remove bicycles that are not properly parked, but apparently this is against the law.
It removes bicycles that are parked outside the special parking racks that are placed on the streets.
Amsterdam Centre (Amsterdam is partitioned [....]
Sunday, January 30 2005, 2:05PM
A few thousand people gathered today in the Wertheim Park in Amsterdam, to commemorate the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz.
The liberation happened 60 years ago, by the Russian army. Like every year, the commemoration took place in the Wertheim [....]
Saturday, January 29 2005, 12:18AM
Cardiologists of the VU Medical Centre have implanted the first pacemaker in the world that sends an sms message to the mobile phone of the cardiologist in case something is wrong.
The heart patient needs to carry with him a special kind of cell phone, that will [....]
Thursday, January 27 2005, 6:08PM
The so-called 'Hard hat tour' in the Rijksmuseum turns out to be an enormous success.
The Rijksmuseum (famous for i.a. the Rembrandt painting 'the Nightwatch') is currently undergoing a major [....]
Thursday, January 27 2005, 12:45AM
Photographs by Prince Bernhard will be exhibited in the Verzetsmuseum/Resistance museum.
Starting on Thursday January 27, some 150 photographs and some films taken by the late Prince (who died recently and was the husband of Queen Juliana) can be seen in the
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Thursday, January 27 2005, 12:34AM
Due to cuts in funding by the government and the city, some tickets of the Concertgebouworkest will become more expensive.
The world-famous Concertgebouw Orchestra, having its home in the equally well-known
Read More
Thursday, January 27 2005, 12:26AM
The so-called air marshalls (special under-cover police officers travelling on planes, to prevent hijackings) are temporarily cancelled.
They were deployed on flights of KLM and Martinair to and from the United States, as a reaction on the 9/11 plane attacks. The [....]
Tuesday, January 25 2005, 3:47PM
On Sunday a parade of extraordinary cars went through Amsterdam, to promote the Autorai convention.
The parade included a Bentley Continental GT , a Cadillac XLR, but also a simple Ford Ka, painted by the artist Clemens Briels.
All cars that were in the parade will [....]
Monday, January 24 2005, 4:49PM
Today the yearly Michelin stars have been awarded for the Benelux, on a conference in Maastricht.
Amsterdam lost one star (Restaurant Vermeer went down from 2 stars to 1), and gained one (
Read More
Monday, January 24 2005, 4:49PM
The City of Amsterdam proposed names of old ships for new streets in the centre of Amsterdam. They are said to be names of ships that were used to transport slaves in the 18th century.
The new streets are part of a new development just West of the Central Station [....]
Sunday, January 23 2005, 12:00AM
A new attraction is scheduled to open in Amsterdam in 2007: a chocolate factory.
The attraction will be a mix of a museum and a theme park for children. The attraction is based on a children's book called 'Sjakie en de Chocaladefabriek', and will be located in a [....]
Friday, January 21 2005, 12:00AM
Sail 2005, the grand event with tall ships that takes places in Amsterdam from August 17 to 22, has been officially opened.
In the presence of the Mayor (Mr Job Cohen) and Elderman Frits Huffnagel, the year of Sail 2005 was officially opened. The marine fregat 'Hr. [....]
