Royal Palace of Amsterdam

The Royal Palace of Amsterdam (originally in Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam or Paleis op de Dam) is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which is at the disposal of Queen Beatrix by Act of Parliament.

The palace was built as city hall during the Dutch Golden Age in the seventeenth century. The building became the royal palace of King Louis Napoleon and later of the Dutch Royal House. It is situated in the west side of Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam, opposite the War Memorial and next to the Nieuwe Kerk. Jacob van Campen was inspired by Roman administrative palaces. He drew inspiration from the public buildings of Rome. He wanted to build a new capitol for the Amsterdam burgomasters who thought of themselves as the consuls of the new Rome of the North. The technical implementation was looked after by the town construction master Daniël Stalpaert.

The sculptures were executed by Artus Quellijn. The central hall is 120 feet long, 60 feet wide and 90 feet high. On top of the palace is a large domed cupola, topped by a weather vane in the form of a Cog ship. This ship is a symbol of Amsterdam. Just underneath the dome there are a few windows. From here one could see the ships arrive and leave the harbour. The interiors, focusing on the power and prestige of Amsterdam, were completed later. Paintings inside include works by Govert Flinck, Jacob Jordaens, Jan Lievens and Ferdinand Bol. Rembrandt 's largest work, The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis was commissioned for the building, but after hanging for some months was returned to him; the remaining fragment is now in Stockholm.

In its time the building was one of many candidates for the title of the Eighth Wonder of the World. Also, for a long time it was the largest administrative building in Europe. After the patriot revolution which swept the House of Orange from power a decade earlier, the new Batavian Republic was forced to accept Louis Napoleon, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, as King Louis I of Holland in 1806. After holding his court at The Hague and Utrecht, Louis Napoleon moved to Amsterdam, and converted the Town Hall into a royal palace for himself. The King of Holland did not have long to appreciate his new palace. He abdicated on 2 July 1810, his son Napoleon Louis Bonaparte succeeded him for 10 days as King Louis II, then the Netherlands was annexed by France. The palace then became home to the French governor, Charles François Lebrun. Prince William VI (son of Prince William V of Orange ), returned to the Netherlands in 1813, after Napoleon fell from power, and restored the palace to its original owners. The new King realised the importance of having a palace in the capital, and the Town Hall again became a royal palace. It was made property of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1936.

The palace is used by Queen Beatrix for entertaining and official functions during state visits and other official receptions, such as the Queen's New Year receptions. The award ceremonies of the Erasmus Prize, of the Silver Carnation, of the Royal Awards for Painting, and of the Prince Claus Award are also held in the palace. The palace was renovated from 2005 until June 2009. Since 14 June 2009, the Palace is open again to visitors.