Damrak

Stretching from the central train station to the Dam square, the Damrak is the widest inner city street of Amsterdam, filled with shops aiming to get hold of tourists. Once, the Damrak was Amsterdam's main port, but it was partly paved over in the 19th century to allow for development.

In the district we find important buildings such as those bordering the Beursplein (stock square). For example, the Beurs van Berlage, which was built Amsterdam Stock Exchange which was built in 1898 to replace the older stock exchange building. In 1912 however, the stock exchange moved again to a new building, which is also currently located in the Damrak district. Other trade exchanges remained in the building until 1998, when it became a conference center. As a result of this financial history, the name Damrak has become synonymous with stock exchange in the Dutch popular perception, in much the same way as Wallstreet has done. Another well known building at the beursplein is The Bijenkorf, Amsterdam's best known department store.

Then there's the Dam Square, considered to be the center of the city in many regards. Here we find such structures as the Royal Palace, the Nieuwe Kerk, and Madame Tussauds, and there's also the WW2 Monument, or the 5 star grand hotel Krasnapolsky. Besides such well known buildings, we find other, no less impressive buildings such as the Industria Society building. The square is a major tourist attraction, drawing millions of visitors a year.

The Damrak district is always bustling with activity, day or night.