Damrak

"Welcome to Amsterdam! If you have just arrived at Central Station, there is a good chance you will be the first to walk across the Damrak. Known as 'the Red Carpet', this straight section has an interesting history. The Dam used to serve as a dam in the Amstel River and the Damrak was the waterway between the IJ and the Amstel. The word 'rak' means a straight canal serving as a connection between two different waters. Before the Central Station was built, large ships could moor at this spot and the end of the Damrak provided a place for ships entering the city from the IJ.

When Central Station was built, the Damrak was filled in. Before that, as you can see in old photos, the houses here were right by the water. The Dam became a square and the Damrak became a street. The Stock Exchange of Berlage was built and the Damrak became an important traffic artery between Central Station and the Dam. Besides the Beurs van Berlage, you will find countless shops, hotels, cafés and restaurants here.

But not everyone is delighted with the 'entrance to the city'. For instance, the well-known Amsterdam newspaper 'Het Parool' wrote that some people consider it 'the ugliest place' in Amsterdam because of its mass tourism and lack of authenticity. Yet the Damrak remains a vibrant and lively street, seen as the entrance to Amsterdam. So welcome!"