Therefore, you will find sections on the cities endless battle with flooding, the development of trade, the relationship with the dutch colonies, amsterdams fierce desire to retain a degree of independence from the rest of the netherlands up to more recent history such as the black years of the nazi occupation and the protests of the 1960s and 1970s which often put those who wanted to preserve the unique architectural heritage of amsterdam at odds with the city council. The city of amsterdam began as a village on the river amstel. Its by far the best book about amsterdams fascinating history. Amsterdam by geert mak, 9781860467899, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook.
Product description a magnet for trade and travellers from all over the world stylish cosmopolitan amsterdam is a city of dreams and nightmares of grand civic architecture and legendary beauty but also of civil wars bloody religious purges and the tragedy of anne. A magnet for trade and travellers from all over the world, stylish, cosmopolitan amsterdam is a city of dreams and nightmares, of grand civic architecture and legendary beauty, but also of civil wars, bloody religious purges, and the tragedy of anne frank. Facts elizabeth wilsonplaintiff sued the united states life insurance company in the city of new yorkdefendant for breach of contract. A brief life of the city new ed by mak, geert, blom, philip isbn. In this fascinating examination of amsterdams soul, part history, part travel guide, mak recreates the lives of the early amsterdam in his book amsterdam. A brief life of the city kindle edition by mak, geert, blom, philip. A brief life of the city by geert mak amsterdam red.
The classic account of amsterdam past and present by the distinguished dutch writer and commentator. Amsterdam is a small city compared with most national capitals. However, in the middle ages, it grew rapidly as a center of trade. A magnet for trade and travellers from all over the world, stylish, cosmopolitan amsterdam is a city of dreams and nightmares, of grand civic. A report from life under coronavirus lockdown in amsterdam. Independent on sunday a strong sense of irony and a lively prose style make geert maks amsterdam one of the most unusual and engaging city books i have read this year. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The author convincingly argues that the city embodied the gospel of globalismpeace through prosperitymore than 400 years before the term was popularized.
A brief life of the city new ed by geert mak, philip blom isbn. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Amsterdam is a city, but it is also a country by itself, a small nation inside a larger one, wrote geert mak in amsterdam. Asd is the largest railway station in amsterdam in north holland, netherlands. A brief life of the city, by mak, geert, isbn 9781860467899, available at the american book center. Amsterdam, the greatest planned city of northern europe, has always been a wellknown name in world history and played a central role in the history of the netherlands. Amsterdam is known for the canals that crisscross the city, its impressive architecture and more than 1,500 bridges. Lovers of amsterdam will revel in the exhaustive reconstruction of everyday life in the medieval city independent on sunday a strong sense of irony and a lively prose style make geert maks amsterdam one of the most unusual and engaging city books i have read this year sunday times maks brief is. Gogh from the singer laren collection outside of amsterdam. Concentrating on two significant periods the late 1500s to the mid 1600s and then from the second world war to the present, russell shortos masterful biography looks at amsterdams central. Geert mak first published in dutch in 1995, amsterdam is based upon diaries and eyewitness accounts and depicts the city in a way that no travel guide or atlas could ever do.
The city exchange bank, basically the worlds first central bank, opened in 1609 to handle the foreign coinage flowing into amsterdam. Golden age canals lined by tilting gabled buildings are the backdrop for amsterdams treasurepacked museums, vintagefilled shops and hypercreative drinking, dining and design scenes. The ability to produce and transport goods has always been vital to the netherlands survival. Found within the province of north holland, amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the venice of the north. A brief life of the city geert mak, philipp blom a magnet for trade and travellers from all over the world, stylish, cosmopolitan amsterdam is a city of dreams and nightmares, of grand civic architecture and legendary beauty, but also of civil wars, bloody. Amsterdam, city and port, western netherlands, located on the ijsselmeer and connected to the north sea. How amsterdams mayor wants to remake the red light. Get to the heart of amsterdam with one of lonely planet s indepth, awardwinning guidebooks.
Amsterdam and new york, january 1, 2009 geert mak is journalisthistorian who on the history of the netherlands wrote such best sellers as my fathers century and amsterdam. The forgotten history of hudson, amsterdam and new york. Amsterdam, a brief life of the city should be an essential in any amsterdammers bookcase. In this fascinating examination of the citys soul, part history, part travel guide, geert mak. Recently a television series was produced based on his book. It is the capital and the principal commercial and financial centre of the netherlands. The city of amsterdam is located 2 meters below sea level. We can get an idea of the size and spread of the city from 16th century maps. Take any city of comparable size in any country and youll conclude that amsterdam is exceptional.
In 1664, new amsterdam passed to english control, and english and dutch settlers lived together peacefully. The vocs success led to the founding of a second enterprise the west india company, which established the. A history of the worlds most liberal city before your trip to amsterdam, but youll be fascinated to learn how amsterdam became the most liberal city in the world the coffee trader. Amsterdam is the netherlands capital and financial, cultural, and creative center, with more than a million citizens. Stockpiling weed, kids taking over and a stolen van gogh. Biggest city a blooming economy helped amsterdam to grow into the biggest city in the province of holland, with some 30,000 inhabitants. But amsterdams raucous reputation likely helped to draw many of the 18 million tourists who visited the city in 2018four times the number of annual visitors a decade ago, before europes. International capital markets in the age of reason. Quality of life in amsterdam, netherlands teleport cities. The author has created a good survey of the life of the city adding plenty of. A brief life of the city by geert mak amsterdammer geert mak uncovers locals in history to tell the life of amsterdam, from its rise out of the marsh into the world of trade, becoming a key figure in europe, through world war ii to present day. Amsterdams struggle to rise up out of these marshes gave birth to an.
For anyone whos a history geek, this masterpiece about the history of amsterdam is a mustread. For geert mak the story of amsterdam starts in the marshes where the city was built. Youll probably not only find the city different from the rest of holland, but also different to anywhere else you have been. In the 17th century amsterdam was the centre of world economy, and nowadays the city is known for its tolerant character. As with all early civilisations, water gives life to a city. The growth of a city some seven hundred years ago, at the end of the thirteenth century, a dam was constructed there where the river amstel flowed into the zuider zee. The united states life insurance company in the city of new york v. Winter is the perfect time to snuggle up with a good book, and youll struggle to find one more engrossing than geert maks classic amsterdam.
Sweeping across the citys colourful thousand year history, amsterdam will bring the place to life. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. A major international railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passengers a day, making it the second busiest railway station in the country after utrecht centraal and the most visited rijksmonument of the netherlands. Amsterdam has a long history of thriftiness, of modesty. Geert mak in this examination of amsterdams soul, part history, part travel guide, the dutch writer geert mak imaginatively depicts the lives of the early amsterdammers and traces the citys progress from a.
About half of the citys inhabitants are indigenous dutch. In the eighteenth century, widow pels, the citys richest inhabitant, had no more than five servants. To the scores of tourists who visit each year, amsterdam is known for its historical attractions, for its collections of great art, and for the distinctive colour and flavour of its old sections, which. In this examination of amsterdams soul, part history, part travel guide, the dutch writer geert mak imaginatively depicts the lives of the early amsterdammers and traces the citys progress from a little town of merchants, sailors, farmers and fishermen into a thriving metropolis.
Recent increases are due to a steady surplus of births over deaths and to an influx of immigrants. After world war ii the population stood at more than 800,000. In 1673, there was a short interruption of english rule. The new amsterdam that had emerged after the peaceful revolution of 1578 was dominated by a formula for success, which, until then, had been unknown. The united states life insurance company in the city of. A brief life of the city first published in january 1995 the tiny secret of a mediaeval shoe found in the darkblue mud at the bottom of an amsterdam canal, the womens revolt at the begijnhof, the diary of a terrified priest during the famine of 1575, the tragedy of the maidservant elsje christiaens and the famous painter rembrandt van. This is an attractive way to get acquainted with history. A brief life of the city was or is being translated in german, czech, hungarian and english. In this book, he takes up amsterdam, and traces the city from past to present. First published in january 1995 the tiny secret of a mediaeval shoe found in the. The city has a heritage back to the dutch golden age in the 17th century, as well as a diverse art scene, and a bustling nightlife. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading amsterdam. A magnet for trade and travelers from all over the world, stylish, cosmopolitan amsterdam is a city of dreams and nightmares, of grand civic architecture and legendary beauty, but also of civil wars, bloody religious purges, and the tragedy of anne frank. The brief life of a city geert mak, philip blom isbn.
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