| The Royal Palace is almost certainly Amsterdam's | | | | public. |
| greatest teller of tales. Though it was once known as | | | | King Louis Napoleon turned the city hall into a royal |
| "Eighth Wonder of the World". It is hard to imagine it | | | | palace. The galleries were provided with wooden |
| when one visits the Palace and views it from outside. | | | | partitioning to create additional rooms. A balcony was |
| The gray-stained building with its aura of loneliness | | | | added to the facade to meet royal public relations |
| highlighted by the fact that it is one of the city's few | | | | requirements. Splendid Empire furniture – still |
| freestanding buildings was built between 1648 and | | | | part of the collection of the palace today – |
| 1665 as the largest nonreligious building on the planet, | | | | served to modernize the interior decoration. In the |
| and that it is still used by the royal family for the | | | | course of the 20th century much work was done to |
| highest of state occasions. It is quite difficult to grasp | | | | the building. The modifications made by Louis |
| the fact that this palace was actually built as a mere | | | | Napoleon's were reversed and the palace was |
| city hall – although one for a city drunk with | | | | restored to its original state of a government building |
| cockiness for having created in a mere 100 years the | | | | based on classical models. Since the 1960 restoration |
| richest and busiest harbor in the world. | | | | the building has been open to the public, though on a |
| As the building was built, artists and sculptors with | | | | limited scale. |
| such immortal names as Ferdinand Bol, Govert Flinck, | | | | The dome is of the Palace is crowned by a weather |
| and Jan Lievens were called in for the decorating. In | | | | vane in the shape of the oldest version of the |
| the building's public entrance hall, known as the | | | | Amsterdam coat of arms, the cargo ship. The central |
| Burgerzaal, the world was placed quite literally at | | | | dome afforded a fine view of the IJ and the arrivals |
| one's feet. There are two maps inlaid in the marble | | | | and departures of the many ships. A notable aspect |
| floor which show Amsterdam as the center of the | | | | of the building is the lack of a conspicuous main |
| world, and the heavens painted above also present | | | | entrance. Seven unadorned arches at street level |
| the city as the center of the universe. | | | | without any steps give access to the building, |
| When King Louis Napoleon came to Amsterdam in | | | | indicating that the town hall belonged to everybody. |
| 1808 he had the city hall turned into a royal palace. | | | | It can be said that the exterior of the building is |
| The large collection of Empire style furniture, | | | | austere and restrained in character; the interior may |
| chandeliers and clocks dates from this period. The | | | | well be called amazing as well as dazzling. Jacob van |
| palace is still used for official functions by her Majesty | | | | Campen's town hall, now the royal palace, is place |
| the Queen. In the summer the palace is open to the | | | | which should not be missed by any tourist. |