Moving To Amsterdam: Fun Facts And Figures

Founded in the late century, Amsterdam’s name originates from a dam on the Amstel River. The city is also often called the “Venice of the North”, due to its many canals.

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What do the three ‘x’s in Amsterdam mean? There are several theories of its origins, among which are two of them:

1) That is derived from the coast of arms of family Persijn.

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2) That the crosses stand for the 3 scourges that have hit Amsterdam in the history – water (flooding), fire and the plague.

Attention trivia buffs; the numbers are in, Amsterdam has over 2,500 houseboats, 654 gable stones and 8 windmills.

Amsterdam in Numbers

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Inhabitants – over 811,185

Inhabitants in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area – 2,332,773

Nationalities – 178

Bicycles – 881,000

Trees – 220,000

Flower bulbs in parks and public gardens – 600,000

Parks – 40

Trams – 216

Ferries routes – 9

Markets – 32

Shops – 6,159

Antique shops – 165

Diamond polishing factories – 24

Canals – 165

Bridges – 1,281

Wooden drawbridges – 8

Glass-topped canal boats and saloon boats – 110

Houseboats – 2,500

16th, 17th and 18th century buildings – 8,863

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Gable stones – 654

Royal Palace – 1

Statues and sculptures – 302

Windmills – 8

Museums – 75

Art galleries – 141

Paintings by Rembrandt – 22

Paintings by Van Gogh – 207

Wax statues at Madame Tussauds – 140

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Types of animal at Artis Royal Zoo – 900

Historical church organs – 42

Concerts and theatrical performances per year –  9,000

Concerts and theatrical performances per day – 25

See also  Picturesque City Of Breda

How impressive are these numbers to you?

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Agness Walewinder
Agness Walewinder
Travel freak, vagabond, photography passionate, blogger, life enthusiast, backpacker, adventure hunter and endless energy couchsurfer living by the rule "Pack lite, travel far and live long!"
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19 thoughts on “Moving To Amsterdam: Fun Facts And Figures”

  1. Avatar of Stef

    Incredible numbers! Houseboats, bikes, parks and markets – impressive. How much time do you still have left in studying in Amsterdam?

  2. Avatar of Luke Mitchell

    The art alone would be enough to allow me reason to visit Amsterdam let alone live there, I wouldnt have guessed about the houseboats though, that’s some impressive stat work there. I love visiting art museums and Rembrandt remains one of my favourites, as are nearly any statues. It never ceases to amaze me what mankind is capable of in the name of art.

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