Royal Palace

Ah, the Royal Palace. A symbolic monument of Amsterdam poudly standing on Dam Square. You simply cannot miss it! Does the name Napoleon Bonaparte ring a bell to you? Well, it was his brother, Louis Bonaparte, who chose this magnificent building to be the Royal Palace. He even lived here for two years during his rule over Holland. However, this big structure hasn’t always been a palace. Built between 1648 and 1665, it was supposed to be Amsterdam’s City Hall. With a style that reminds us of Roman times, it should be seen on the Capitoline Hill in Rome instead. At the time, it was the largest administrative building in Europe. Then came King Louis Bonaparte, who decided to redecorate, install a balcony, and add his personal touch to the place—like any respectable king. Yet, only two years later, he suddenly decided to leave and turn it into a royal museum. A bit capricious, don’t you think? After that, it was an Imperial Palace for three years, then went back to being a City Hall, before finally regaining its function as the Royal Palace. Keeping up? All of this happened in less than ten years! Today, it remains one of the three palaces still used by the Dutch royal family—because, let’s not forget, the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy.