2019-07

Amsterdam Royal Palace

Architectural Photography

The palace was built as the town hall of Amsterdam facing the land wharves of Damrak, which was busy with ships at that time. Designed by Architect named Jacob van Campen, and inspired by the Antwerp Town Hall. The construction phase started in 1648 and opened on 29 July 1655. The motivation of this building is to create the icon of the new Rome of the North. The new town hall was claimed to be the largest administrative building in Europe. In fact, some travelers described the building as too big for the city where a typical façade was only three windows wide.

The technical implementation was looked after by the town construction master Daniël Stalpaert. The sculptures were executed in Antwerp by Artus Quellijn. It was built on 13,659 wooden piles and cost 8.5 million guldens. A yellowish sandstone from Bentheim in Germany was used for the entire building. Marble was the chosen material for the interior. The interiors, focusing on the power and prestige of Amsterdam, were completed later. Paintings inside include works by Govert Flinck (who died before finishing a cycle of twelve huge canvases), Jacob Jordaens, Jan Lievens, and Ferdinand Bol.