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“The best part of Amsterdam is meeting the people”
Jan Wisse "Allgemeen Directeur" (CEO) of T-Systems Nederland since 2003.
Trends: Booming Cities
Welkom in Amsterdam!
“Moneybags” and the polder model, unbridled liberalism and Calvinist austerity – providence has cast its smile on the contented Kingdom of the Netherlands.
If it works for aggressive quadrupeds, it may work for Amsterdam’s bipeds on wheels: Actually, there should be special signs warning about them. Because they’ll come at you from any angle, totally unexpected and without any lights. All too often, unsuspecting tourists have to leap, terrified, out of the way. Because they look everywhere except at the street. At picturesque houseboats, for instance. Through uncurtained windows straight into living rooms. Or at the gables of the Grachtenhuiser that, with their white window frames, all look just like chocolate and cream. Amsterdam, as a photographer once put it, is a feast for the eyes.
“Your eyes can never get their fill of this city,” confirmed Eva-Maria Mayring. The 50-year-old Munich-born art historian is often in Amsterdam. Her favorite thing? To sit in one of the many brown-colored cafés, and just watch the people pass by: “Such a laid-back atmosphere, such a colorful mix of peoples!”
Amsterdam is home to people from more than 140 countries. Dissidents and refugees have sought sanctuary over and over in this melting pot of the nations. They also bestowed upon Amsterdam its Golden Age in the 17th century, when the famous canal belt developed.
Its most notorious attraction is the red-light district, de Wallen. But you should leave it lying on your left, because it is one of the most over-trodden tourist trails in the world. An excellent secret tip, on the other hand, is still the Jordaan, a working-class district with picturesque courtyards, original shops and cozy pubs.
First stock corporation in the world
For art enthusiasts, the van Gogh museum and the Reichsmuseum are a must. There are also many unusual establishments: like the Nemo Science Center, for instance. At the quay directly in front of the museum, you can even climb on board the Amsterdam: The 48-meter-long wooden ship is an exact copy of a trading ship of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), founded in 1602 – the first stock corporation in the world.
The Dutch continue to be a trading nation: For instance, Shell and Philips have their headquarters in Amsterdam. At the moment, a trade center with impressive skyscrapers is being built on the Zuidas in the south. Lovers of modern architecture can also get their money’s worth in the north: Old port areas are being opened up with spectacularly renovated trade offices and witty, modern canal houses.
Enjoying delicious food – lekker!
A great deal has also changed on the culinary front. Even though malicious rumors insist that, from a culinary perspective, the Netherlands is still a developing country, “there are now plenty of restaurants offering excellent international cuisine,” declares Michael Lehner. When he is visiting Amsterdam, the TV producer from Zürich loves to go to 11, a restaurant with club and bar on the eleventh floor of a tower block. Not only can you get delicious, or lekker foods, and then swing the night away but, thanks to the panoramic view, many people concentrate above all on one thing here: Feasting their eyes.
Read the full story in the printed edition.
