A book by American journalist Russell Shorto, who also wrote New York City, The Island at the Center of the World.
Dutch provinces were part of Holy Roman Empire, which according to Voltaire, was “neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.”
Amsterdam
“People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them.” — James Baldwin
- An ingrained commitment to openness. The first truly modern free-trading culture.
- A city historically famed for championing tolerance now seems to be charting old new frontiers of intolerance (conservatives, lockdowns).
- The canal belt is 17th century heart of the city.
- The Ij (pronounced “aye”) — an inland harbour. Streets named after famous persons: Vincent van Goghstraat, Rembrandtplein, Beethovenstraat, Rubenstraat, Bachstraat.