4 tourist attractions in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is not only famous for its canals, red light district and museums. The city also has the "most bizarre and interesting" attractions recommended for visitors to visit to better understand the capital of the Netherlands.

Flower bike

Flower bicycles placed on the city's bridges

Strolling around the center of Amsterdam, visitors will be amazed by the colorful flower bicycles installed on bridges over the canals. The bicycles are decorated with fabric flowers and sequins and are the work of Warren Gregory, an American who has lived in the capital for many years. The flower bicycles are famous thanks to their constant appearances on TikTok, Instagram and other social media.

Gregory made his first flowered bicycles for his wife, Michelle, nearly 20 years ago. She suffered from short-term memory loss and often complained about losing her bicycle. In fact, Michelle hadn't lost her bicycle. She just couldn't find hers among the thousands of similar ones parked outside Amsterdam's Central Station. So Gregory decorated her bike with flowers to make it easier for her to spot. "I'm just a man who loves his wife and found a way to help her," Gregory says.

Gregory has now created a new Dutch landmark – the flower bicycle. There are nearly 500 flower bicycles, about 100 of them scattered across Amsterdam. The rest are in other cities and towns.

Gregory has been nicknamed “the man of the flower bicycles” by locals. He says he is grateful for the “love and warmth” people have shown him. Gregory now takes private commissions to decorate flower bicycles for cafes, small businesses and museums. In June 2023, he created a yellow bicycle covered in fabric sunflowers to mark the 50th anniversary of the Van Gogh Museum.

Painting by Fabrice Hünd

A work by Fabrice Hünd in Amsterdam

Love was also the driving force behind the late Dutch visual artist Fabrice Hünd (1961-2021) as he created large, complex works of art for Amsterdam's public spaces.

Alain-Celest de Buck, co-founder of art studio Depart From, said Fabrice's work is largely about pure love and how people connect with each other.

Buck’s studio has developed Tour de Fabrice, a free online guide in Dutch, with the support of the city government to help people see the late artist’s work in the city. The tour includes six large mosaics, three large paintings, and one traditional work. The tour is “very popular with visitors,” according to Buck.

One of Hünd's most visible works is titled The Compass – a giant mosaic in Marie Heinekenplein square, a five-minute walk from the Albert Cuyp market.

Gable stone

Gable stone from late 17th to early 18th century in a building in central Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s gable stones (or gevelsteen) are sought after by many visitors as they explore the city. Gable stones are natural stone plaques, carved and painted, placed on the walls of tall buildings. Before the 19th century, when the city had no house numbering system, these stones were used to find addresses.

Each plaque depicts an object or scene related to the homeowner’s name or business, or reflects the homeowner’s religious or political views. The biblical Noah’s Ark is the most commonly engraved theme on these tablets. These tablets are essential when a homeowner wants to register the purchase or sale of a home.

There are around 1,000 gable stones still standing in the Dutch capital, nearly 700 of them in public places.

Mini library

Two mini libraries in Amsterdam

Mini libraries, commonly found in residential areas in Amsterdam, are small wooden or metal boxes located in public areas of the city and containing books. People can take them away for free and return them after reading.

Amsterdam resident Enkiri Bloem said the mini libraries were a “lovely city initiative” and a great way to recycle old books. There are now around 800 mini libraries.

The bookcases are mostly handmade, others are from the famous Ikea brand. They are often recognized by their bright colors, odd shapes or sometimes just plain.

In the trendy Noord neighborhood, a small boat has been converted into a mini library. In the Jordaan neighborhood in the west of the city, an old telephone booth is the library.

People are also very interested and concerned about these small libraries. They invest effort to decorate to make the neighborhood more friendly with beautiful wooden book boxes.

University (according to VnExpress)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/4-bieu-tuong-hut-khach-o-amsterdam-381949.html