Vondel Church in Amsterdam

3 January 2026 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© IdsVanHouten/cc-by-sa-4.0

© IdsVanHouten/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Vondel Church (Dutch: Vondelkerk) was a church building located on Vondelstraat in Amsterdam-West. From 1880 to 1977, the building—designed by architect Pierre Cuypers—served as the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus for the Roman Catholic parish of the same name. After its deconsecration, the central nave was used for purposes including concerts, while surrounding spaces were rented out as offices.   read more…

De Wallen in Amsterdam

6 December 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© ?????????/cc-by-sa-3.0

© ?????????/cc-by-sa-3.0

De Wallen is the largest and best known red-light district in Amsterdam. It consists of a network of alleys containing approximately 300 one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their sexual services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights and blacklight. Window prostitution is the most visible and typical kind of red-light district sex work in Amsterdam.   read more…

Dutch National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam

16 November 2024 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  8 minutes

Nationaal Holocaust Museum © Ceescamel

Nationaal Holocaust Museum © Ceescamel

The Dutch National Holocaust Museum (Dutch: Nationaal Holocaust museum) is the first official museum on the Holocaust in the Netherlands. It is located in an historic building in the Jewish Cultural Quarter of Amsterdam, near a former child care center that played a role in rescuing Jewish children. The museum tells the story of the Holocaust through the lives of individual victimised men, women, and children. There is a floor-to-ceiling display of all the laws limiting and obliterating the rights of Jews in the Netherlands, who since the eighteenth century had been Dutch citizens with equal rights.   read more…

Dam Square in Amsterdam

11 November 2024 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  9 minutes

Royal Palace © Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-4.0

Royal Palace © Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-4.0

Dam Square or the Dam is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital and most populated city of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country.   read more…

Jodenbuurt in Amsterdam

1 October 2024 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - Paul Arps/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Paul Arps/cc-by-2.0

The Jodenbuurt (Dutch: Jewish neighbourhood) is a neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands. For centuries before World War II, it was the center of the Dutch Jews of Amsterdam — hence, its name (literally: Jewish quarter). It is best known as the birthplace of Baruch Spinoza, the home of Rembrandt, and the Jewish ghetto of Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.   read more…

University of Amsterdam

18 May 2024 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Universities, Colleges, Academies Reading Time:  5 minutes

Maagdenhuis houses the administration © Marcelmulder68/cc-by-sa-3.0-nl

Maagdenhuis houses the administration © Marcelmulder68/cc-by-sa-3.0-nl

The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, Dutch: Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlands still in operation.   read more…

East India House in Amsterdam

1 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Architecture Reading Time:  7 minutes

Courtyard © Iijjccoo/cc-by-sa-3.0

Courtyard © Iijjccoo/cc-by-sa-3.0

The East India House (Dutch: “Oost-Indisch Huis”) is an early 17th-century building in the centre of Amsterdam. It was the headquarters of the Amsterdam chamber of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC). It is a listed Dutch national heritage site (rijksmonument).   read more…

The European Union: European Sky Shield Initiative

12 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Editorial, EU blog post series, European Union Reading Time:  6 minutes

Flag_of_Europe European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) is a project to build a ground-based integrated European air defense system which includes anti-ballistic missile capability. As of July 2023, nineteen European states participate in the initiative. ESSI is part of the Common Security and Defense Policy and as such is designed to complement and relieve the burden on NATO.   read more…

Utrecht University

9 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Universities, Colleges, Academies Reading Time:  5 minutes

Utrecht University Library © Moyogo

Utrecht University Library © Moyogo

Utrecht University (UU; Dutch: Universiteit Utrecht, formerly Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht) is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established 26 March 1636, it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2021, it had an enrollment of 36,390 students, and employed 8,276 faculty members and staff. More than 400 PhD degrees were awarded and 8,500 scientific articles were published. The 2021 budget of the university was €1.026 billion.   read more…

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