Royal Palace of Amsterdam

The Royal Palace on Dam Square was built between 1648 and 1665 at the peak of the Dutch Golden Age as Amsterdam's town hall. Architect Jacob van Campen designed the massive block in Dutch classicist style, resting on 13,659 wooden piles driven into the marshy ground; its sheer scale advertised the wealth of the city at the height of the Dutch East India Company era. The opulent Citizens' Hall, with marble inlaid floors, lays the world out as a map at the feet of the burghers. In 1808 Louis Napoleon turned the building into his royal palace, and the Dutch royal house still uses it for state receptions and ceremonies while opening it to visitors regularly. Inside, galleries with statues, reliefs and paintings by Ferdinand Bol and Govert Flinck reward a slow visit.