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No city in the world has more tourist attractions within walking distance than Amsterdam. 4.6 million foreign visitors come to the city every year. Amsterdam has 33,000 hotel beds and a tourist turnover of around EUR 2.13 billion a year. The city has a system of tourist signposts with seven pedestrian routes covering a total of 30 major attractions. Information pillars are provided at junctions. On the canals there are about 60 cruise vessels (some electrically powered), 120 canal bikes and a fleet of water taxis, museum boats, canoes and special craft, such as a former lifeboat. Amsterdam has enjoyed links with the rest of Europe for centuries. In the late Middle Ages the city's merchants were already trading with many different countries. By the seventeenth century Amsterdam had emerged as Europe's leading trade centre. Many long rows of warehouses in the inner city still recall those days. Towards the end of the seventeenth century Amsterdam had trade contacts with 625 foreign harbours. The resulting prosperity was accompanied by a political and religious tolerance that was unprecedented for the time. This tolerance included freedom of the press and because of this many foreign newspapers and books were printed in Amsterdam. Besides attracting large numbers of foreign merchants and artists, Amsterdam was also a magnet for those who had been driven from their own countries because of their religion. The refugees included Flemish, Walloon and French Protestants, and Jewish merchants from Spain, Portugal and Central Europe. The ties to other European countries have left many traces in Amsterdam, ranging from historic stone plaques to entire churches. The following examples constitute an interesting walk through Europe in Amsterdam. For more information on Amsterdam visit: http://www.amsterdam.nl |
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