Town Hall (now the Royal Palace) of Amsterdam

Town Hall (now the Royal Palace) of Amsterdam

What is now the Royal Palace of Amsterdam was originally inaugurated in 1665 as the Town Hall of the City of Amsterdam, to be the "eighth wonder of the world". With the newfound independence from Spain thanks to the Peace of Westphalia, and with the Dutch Golden Age in full swing, the dilapidated medieval town hall no longer sufficed. Amsterdam was rapidly becoming Europe's most important and successful trade center, and according to its burgomasters, its town hall needed a revamp in order to represent the city's new status and prosperity (Beranek). Jacob van Campen's design was chosen for that very purpose. The new town hall was designed in the Dutch Classicist style, with particular focus on symmetry and ideal ratios––the resulting building is very orderly. The exterior of the hall sports Corinthian pilasters in sandstone (an unusual medium for the city) and above a pediment shows reliefs of the Maid of Amsterdam and the bounties of the sea, a tribute to the flourishing trade of the city. Sculptures of the allegorical figures Peace, Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude rise from the roof (Beranek). The town hall also has a cupola, which houses a bell salvaged from the original building. Inside, the main barrel-vaulted citizen's hall stretches through most of the building, dominating the space, while two smaller interior courts flank the hall and allow light in. Structurally, it's something of a marvel; Amsterdam's soft ground rarely allowed for such large building projects, so nearly fourteen thousand wooden poles were driven into the ground to carry the weight of the new town hall ("About the Palace"). For two centuries after its construction, the hall was also the largest secular building in Europe, standing as a reflection of Amsterdam's power and prestige.

The first stone of the new Amsterdam town hall was laid in 1848, shortly after the peace treaty assuring Dutch independence from Spain was finalized. Political autonomy was a crucially important for the Dutch during this period, as decentralized politics in the Netherlands opened up a plethora of avenues for economic growth––the lack of a central regulatory power resulted in significantly more freedom within the economy. It was also a definite source of pride for the people of the Dutch Republic, whose lands had been passed from hand to hand for centuries. Now that they were independent, the Dutch way could reign, and Dutch successes could remain uniquely Dutch; credit would be given were credit was due. This is absolutely exemplified by the creation of this new town hall. As soon as the Dutch Republic gained their independence, they proceeded to construct a grandiose seat of self-government that glorified their city and literally set Dutch values into stone, a veritable reflection of the pride which they held for their own achievements as a Dutch region. However, this sentiment was largely reversed when the town hall was converted into a residential palace after Napoleon asserted his power over the Republic and it was forced to accept Louis Napoleon as king in 1806. Even when power was returned to the Dutch monarchy, the old town hall remained a palace, as it was seen as important to have a palace in the capital city. Since then, it has always been a palace. But it's important not the diminish the reasons for which the town hall was originally built, and what it represented then: Dutch reclamation of their own independence, values, and prosperity in the context of their Golden Age.

Architect: Jacob van Campen
Photo: C messier

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amsterdam_Royal_Palace_7299.jpg

"About the Palace." Paleis Amsterdam, accessed November 2, 2018. https://www.paleisamsterdam.nl/en/about-palace/

Beranek, Saskia. "The Town Hall of Amsterdam," last modified September 7, 2017. https://smarthistory.org/amsterdam-hall/

Built 1648-1665
Photo: 2017

Maddie Gartland

Creative Commons 4.0, free re-use