Hi! It is so cool that you are listening to 'the Freedom of Amsterdam'. My name is Gwendolyn. I live in Amsterdam and I studied philosophy here. I love this city and I cannot wait to tell you more about the freedom of Amsterdam.&nbsp;We are now at Central Station. It is always crazy busy here, just look around and you see so many different people! A lot of these people are here because Amsterdam is a very free city, where a lot of things are allowed.Now, I wonder. I want you to close your eyes for a minute, and think about this: how important is freedom to you?For example, is it important to you to pick your own outfit in the morning? Do you want to choose what you will become when you grow up? Do you always want to decide what you do that day, or do you understand that you sometimes need to do what other people tell you to?In our society, most people think freedom is really important. And the older you get, the more freedom you have to choose how you want to life your own live. But this has definitely not always been the case.In this first part of the walk, you discover how freedom became such an important part of our society. To do this we have to go 400 years back in time. Back then, Amsterdam was already a really free city, perhaps the most free city of the world. If you walk with me, you will discover more about that.On your screen you can see a lot of ships. Our next stop will tell you all about those ships. We are going to the station square on the center side of the train station. Come with me, let us walk outside.Oh before we go, one more thing. In this walk, we will regularly ask you questions. And we would LOVE to hear your answers. Chances are that we will post them on the homepage of vrijheidvanamsterdam.nl. It is up to you if you also want your name up there.You can let us know your answer on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Vrijheid-van-Amsterdam-242478746558870/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebookpage</a> vrijheidvanamsterdam or by emailing info@vrijheidvanamsterdam.nl.&nbsp;In the textbox you can also find these addresses&nbsp;

Central Station: start of the walk

You are now standing on one of the busiest squares of Amsterdam. Lots of people are running around, rushing to catch their train, metro or tram. But in the seventeenth century there was no station here. From where you are standing now, you could see the harbor of Amsterdam. This harbor is the most important reason that the seventeenth century was called the Golden Age in the Netherlands.Because of this harbor, Amsterdam became the richest city in the world. With thousands of ships, the Dutch transported food, like grains, wine and herbs, and other products, like wood, cotton and furs. These products were picked up at countries very far away from here, and resold with a huge profit.How was it possible that this specific harbor became so big? Well, this harbor had one advantage: it was located at a very convenient spot. There were a lot of connections with other seas, like the Baltic Sea, which is the sea between Sweden and Finland. And all those products and foods were very easy to transport to other big cities in the Netherlands, through all the rivers we have here.On top of that, the people from Amsterdam did two very smart inventions that made sure this harbor was making even more money. They invented the so-called fluitschip: a ship that was much faster than all the other ships, that could store a lot more products, and that needed fewer crew members. On your screen you can see what this ship looked like.Now the skippers also thought of a smart way to conserve herrings. By pickling the fish straight away on the ship, they were able to store the fish a lot longer. This is how the skippers from Amsterdam were able to sail further into the sea; there was a lot more fish swimming around there.And then finally there was one event that made sure the harbor of Amsterdam became really, really big. In 1585 the Spaniards conquered Antwerp. Now because of this, people could not reach the harbor in Antwerp anymore, and this harbor was very important for all sorts of trade. All the foreign ships now came to Amsterdam, because they could still reach that harbor. This is how the harbor of Amsterdam became so important.Trade is one of the most important reasons why there was more and more freedom in Amsterdam. People became richer, they got more free time, and they could think about what THEY wanted to do instead of what somebody else told them to do.This is why this century is called the Golden Age. But this does not mean all the people in Amsterdam were rich; there were a lot of people that barely had enough to eat. I will tell you more about this later.&nbsp;We will walk towards the city center now. In a bit, you will see the Nieuwe Brug, or New Bridge, on your left side. When we are there I will they you about a different invention by the people of Amsterdam that increased the wealth of Amsterdam even more.Want to know more? At the <a href="https://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Maritime Museum</a> you can see what the harbor of Amsterdam looked like in the seventeenth century. In the textbox on your screen you can always find the websites of the places that I recommend visiting.

Station square: the harbor

You left the train station. If you look straight ahead, over the water with the canal cruises, you see the Beurs van Berlage. This was once the Amsterdam stock exchange.Stocks are small parts of a company, like a shoe factory or a painting company. When you buy stock, you become a shareholder. This means that you become part owner of the company, and get a part of the profit. But if the company is not doing well, your stock is worth less. It is always a risk to buy stock.By now, a million stocks are traded every single day. But the first stocks were traded in Amsterdam at the beginning of the seventeenth century, exactly at this spot you are standing at right now! On the Nieuwe Brug.They were sold and bought in the open air. When it was raining, the traders could take shelter in the Sint Olof's chapel at Zeedijk 2. Nowadays it is a hotel with meeting rooms. You can try and go in to see if you can visit the chapel, but if there is a meeting, you are not allowed to enter.The stock market was invented by the VOC, the Dutch East India Company. You might have heard of that name. On your screen you can see the VOC logo. While you walk towards the next stop, I will tell you a bit more about that.Want to know more? Visit the <a href="http://www.uva.nl/locaties/binnenstad/oost-indisch-huis.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oost-Indisch Huis</a>. This was once the office of the VOC, built in 1606.Visit the <a href="https://www.aex.nl/amsterdam-exchange-experience" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amsterdam Exchange Experience</a> if you want to know more about stock and investing.

Nieuwe Brug: the VOC and the first stocks

While you walk to the next stop, I will tell you more about the VOC (the Dutch East India Company) and the WIC (the Dutch West India Company). But please, keep an eye out for traffic and do not forget about the bicyclists!The VOC was founded in 1602 and they traded in spices (like pepper, nutmeg and clove) and other products that are difficult to get in Europe. The VOC was the only Dutch company that was allowed to trade with Asia. A bit later, in 1621, the WIC was founded. Just like the VOC, the WIC got a commercial monopoly. Not on Asia though, but on the coast of West Africa and South America. This meant that they were the only ones who were allowed to trade in that area. If you look at your screen, you can see the logo of the WIC.&nbsp;Because of the VOC, Amsterdam became even more wealthy and successful. The VOC became rich out of the stock they sold, and this made them able to invest in ships. Whoever wanted, could buy VOC stock. Even people who did not make a lot of money, like cleaners, bought small amounts of stock.But there was also a lack of freedom because of the VOC and the WIC. A lot of violence was used to get access to the Asian market. Sometimes entire tribes were wiped out, which means they were murdered.A lot of countries that traded with the VOC and the WIC became colonies and were dominated by the Dutch. Many of those foreign people and children were forced to become slaves.The freedom of Amsterdam meant a huge lack of freedom for others. That is why you could wonder if the Golden Age is an appropriate name for this period.The Amsterdam Museum thought the name was so inappropriate, that in September 2019 they announced that they would no longer name the seventeenth century the Golden Age. This was also criticized, because other museums said that in this way you try to forget to past.What do you think: should you stop using words like these because we know better now, or should you use these words because they also teach us something about the past?&nbsp;

Continue walking: VOC and WIC

In this part of Amsterdam, around the harbor, there used to be a lot of printing offices and publishing houses. A lot of newspapers were published and sold in Amsterdam. These newspapers were famous for the reliable information they published.&nbsp;In the seventeenth century, a newspaper was not yet called a newspaper, or 'krant' in Dutch. They called it a 'courant'. So in June 1618, 400 years ago, the first Courant uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &amp;c was published here in Amsterdam.On your screen you can see an image of this newspaper. You could find information from all over the world in this newspaper. Because of the harbor, there were a lot of foreign people in Amsterdam. And all those people knew all sorts of things about their homeland and what was going on in their countries. All that news was collected.In front of you, at Damrak nr. 36, there used to be a book store in the seventeenth century. Chances are that in that book store the first newspapers were sold.

Damrak 36: printing offices, publishing houses, and book stores

As I said earlier, in this part of seventeenth-century Amsterdam there were a lot of publishing houses and printing offices. But also in other Dutch cities, like Leiden, a lot of books were published. That is why in the seventeenth century, the Netherlands was called 'the book store of the world'.&nbsp;Dutch publishing houses had a lot of freedom in those days. The rulers of Dutch cities did not interfere with the content of the books as much as rulers in other countries. One of the reasons for this was that the sales of books generated a lot of money for the city.This did not mean that everything was allowed to be published though. The city rulers thought that some writers took it too far. For example, books by philosophers that went against the church or the government were banned.But those books were published and sold in secret, because some publishers thought it was really important that people could read these books. At the next stop I will give an example of one of those brave publishers.

Continue walking: Amsterdam as book store of the world

You can see a tile here with a quote from 1670 by Dutch philosopher Benedictus de Spinoza. Sometimes he was called Baruch Spinoza. The quote says: &lsquo;We have the rare good fortune of living in a republic in which freedom is valued more than anything else.&rsquo;For Spinoza freedom was very important. He wrote an important book about it. On your screen you can see the title page of the book. It was published by Jan Rieuwertsz.You could find his publishing house on this street at number 14. Unfortunately, nothing is left of the old building.This publisher deserves more than a tile. He should actually get a big statue, because the books he has published have changed history.During this walk we will come across several books that have been published here. Almost all of those books were banned or ran the risk of being forbidden.The book by Spinoza where this quote is from, was immediately forbidden to be published. In part 2 of this walk, you will hear why.In this day and age, a book like that would no longer become forbidden. In Western countries we nowadays think it is very normal to write whatever you want.This is called freedom of the press. Unless you write something that violates the law, like calling for violence, discriminating, or insulting the king. In those cases you are still punishable.&nbsp;What do you think of all this? Do you think it is a good thing that you are allowed to say so many things in the Netherlands? Is there a limit? And do you think it is a good thing that in the Netherlands you can be punished for saying discriminating things, even if that means restricting freedom of speech?

Tile D. v Hasseltsteeg: publisher Rieuwertsz (publisher of Spinoza amongst others)

You are now standing in front of a very old building at Warmoesstraat number 111. At the top of the door you can read that Dirck Coornhert was born here in 1522.Yep, that is the sixteenth century. And if you have paid close attention, you know that this tour is about the seventeenth century. But I want to tell you something about Coornhert anyway, because he has been really important for our freedom.We already talked a bit about the freedom to write whatever you want. Coornhert thought it was also important that you can believe whatever you want.According to him, everyone was free to decide whether he believed in God and in which God. That was a revolutionary thought at the time, because almost everyone was convinced that there was only one true God.People like Coornhert were often not listened to, but Coornhert and his ideas still had a lot of influence. How was that possible? Well, he was friends with William of Orange, the ancestor of the Dutch king Willem-Alexander. Coornhert and his ideals had a big audience through William of Orange.Coornhert was also one of the first people to write in Dutch, because he wanted every single Dutch person to be able to read his ideas. Many other thinkers wrote in Latin.Now, while you walk to the next stop, you can think about tolerance for other beliefs and the customs that go with them. Do you think for example that everybody should be able to wear what they want, like a burqa? And what about parents that decide their children will not receive medical treatment, because their faith forbids the treatment?

Warmoesstraat 111: Coornhert

We are now standing at the Nieuwe Kerk, the New Church, but it is actually a very old church! This used to be a Catholic church, but in 1578 it became a Protestant church. The Protestants did not want to belong to the Catholic Church anymore, because in their opinion the Catholic Church had become too rich.This change from Catholic to Protestant is called 'the Alteration of Amsterdam'. Alteration is a different word for change. All important churches in Amsterdam became Protestant.But something extraordinary happened here in this city. Because the people of Amsterdam thought it was important to accept people of a different faith, it was possible for the Catholics to keep living in this city, even if they had a different religion than the rulers of the city. In many other cities, this would not have been possible.On your screen, you can see what the Nieuwe Kerk looked like in the seventeenth century. Take another look at the church. Has it changed a lot or not?Do you want to know more? Visit the <a href="https://www.nieuwekerk.nl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nieuwe Kerk</a>. You can see all sorts of exhibitions about art and current political affairs.

The Nieuwe Kerk: the Alteration of Amsterdam

In 1655 the new city hall of Amsterdam was opened here, after the old city hall was destroyed by a fire. On your screen you can see what the old town hall looked like. Now we call this new town hall the Palace on the Dam. It is used as a reception room by the current Dutch king Willem-Alexander and his wife, queen M&aacute;xima.This place has been very important for the freedom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands was once dominated by the Spanish king Philip II.Representatives of all provinces in the Netherlands, together called the States General, rebelled against this king in 1581. They did this by writing a statement: the Act of Abjuration.In this text they stated that king Philip II did not take the liberties of the Dutch citizens into account enough. His throne was declared deserted. This was the first time that a country did a thing like this.They looked for a new king, but could not find one. So they decided that the States General would replace it. The States General ruled much more democratic than an absolute monarch. The Netherlands was very remarkable in this respect; in most other countries a monarch ruled alone.The city council of Amsterdam had a lot of power in the States General, because Amsterdam was very rich. The city council had meetings in the old city hall, and consisted of thirty-six citizens. They were all rich citizens, by the way. So it definitely was not like democracy as we know it today.When the Americans wrote their Declaration of Independence two hundred years later, they used the Act of Abjuration as an example. The Netherlands has had quite a lot of influence on world history.Visit the <a href="https://www.amsterdammuseum.nl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amsterdam Museum</a> if you want to know more about the history of Amsterdam.

The Palace on the Dam: The Act of Abjuration

Imagine that there are no laws at all. Everyone has the freedom to do whatever they want. What would society look like? According to the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes it would be a complete disaster!On your screen, you can see a picture of the most important book written by this philosopher. This book was published here in this alley in 1651. In it he writes about a society without rules. He calls that 'the state of nature'.On the tile that you can see right now, you can read what that state of nature is like: 'Life in the state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.'According to Hobbes, all people are focused on their self-interest. They want to have the best life possible. And it does not matter if that comes at the expense of others. But if everyone acts like this, then life obviously does not get better at all. Everybody understands this.That is why Hobbes says: if you just think for a bit, then everyone understands that we need a king who gives us rules to live by. If we all decide that one person determines the rules, then everyone is better off.What do you think of this? Do we need rules and laws because otherwise we will all punch each other's brains out? And what if the laws that a king decides on, are not good at all? Can the citizens then revolt?Do not forget to let us know your answer on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Vrijheid-van-Amsterdam-242478746558870/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebookpage</a> vrijheidvanamsterdam or by emailing info@vrijheidvanamsterdam.nl

Tile Molsteeg: Hobbes's Leviathan

Earlier in this walk, at stop 9, I told you about 'the Alteration of Amsterdam', when the official faith became Protestant instead of Catholic. The Catholics were still allowed to live in Amsterdam and even hold services, as long as they kept those services hidden a bit.A Catholic house church was located here. That is a church that looks like a house. On your screen you can see what that church looked like.It was really unusual at the time that both Catholics and Protestants were allowed to hold church services. The Jews were also allowed to build a synagogue, I will tell more about that during the second part of this walk.Even today, Amsterdam is a colorful city. Many different people from over 150 countries live here. We no longer try to keep that a secret: foreign stores and restaurants can be found everywhere. It makes the city special.But some people are critical of this. They think it causes problems because people from different cultures do not always understand each other. What do you think? Should there be rules about who can live in a city?Want to know more? Visit the museum <a href="https://www.opsolder.nl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ons' Lieve Heer op Zolder</a>, a house church that has definitely stood the test of time.

Singel 156: a Catholic house church

The wealth of Amsterdam and the tolerance for other beliefs, made the city very appealing. That is why many new people came to live in this city in the Golden Age.All those workers made Amsterdam even richer, because there was a lot to do in Amsterdam. As a result, even more people came to Amsterdam. In 100 years, from 1600 to 1700, the city grew from 65 thousand to 230 thousand inhabitants.Amsterdam had an insane growth spurt, and to accommodate all those people, a lot of houses were built. If you look forward, with the Singel behind you, you see a canal. This part of the canal belt was built from 1593 to 1613. On your screen you can see what the city looked like before then.Where would you rather live: in a place where you have a lot of space, but there are not that many people around? Or in a place where you have limited space but you can meet a lot of people?Want to know more? Visit the<a href="http://www.hetgrachtenhuis.nl/nl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Grachtenhuis</a>, a museum that tells you all about the canal belt.

Herengracht: more citizens to Amsterdam

Earlier in this tour I talked about the VOC, the Dutch East India Company. I already told you that freedom for Amsterdam, meant a lot of other people became less free. Just think about all those people that were made slaves.Laurens Reael, a director of the VOC, lived in this house. Reael thought it was important to be gentle and respectful with the inhabitants of the colonial areas. On your screen you can see a portrait of Reael.Other directors of the VOC disagreed. That is why Laurens Reael had to stop as a director. Jan Pieterszoon Coen took over his position. He was much harder on the inhabitants of the colonies.

Keizersgracht 141: VOC director Laurens Reael

We are now standing in front of the House with the Heads. You can see that the owner of the house was very rich. Left of the entrance you can see the god Mercury and on the right the goddess Minerva. Mercury is the god of trade and profit. Minerva is the goddess of wisdom.An arms dealer lived here in the seventeenth century. His name was Laurens de Geer. He was very good at trading, but wisdom was also important to him. That is why he invited all sorts of thinkers to his house. Sometimes they were allowed to live with him for a while. The well-known philosopher Comenius lived here for a bit.Comenius thought it was important that all children could go to school: boys and girls, rich and poor. You might think that you are free when you do not have to go to school, but back in the day, it was the other way around: not everybody had the freedom to go to school. Comenius wanted to change that.So next time you have to go to school, and you do not want to go, you can blame Comenius for being one of the persons who caused that.By the way, Comenius was born in the Czech Republic. Above the entrance of the house you can see a memorial stone that says 'Komensky'. This is Czech for 'Comenius'. On your screen you can see a portrait of him painted by Rembrandt.This is the end of the first part of the walk about the freedom of Amsterdam. You can now start the second part of the walk. It is called 'from Descartes to Spinoza'. Walk west via the Keizersgracht and go to the Westermarkt, where you can find the Westerkerk.And then one last question: do you think that education makes you more free or not? You can think about this while you walk to part 2 of the walk.Want to know more? Visit the <a href="https://embassyofthefreemind.com/nl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Embassy of the Free Mind</a>, in the House with the Heads. You can find a lot of information about tolerance and press freedom in Amsterdam.

Tile Keizersgracht 123: De Geer and Comenius

This is part 1 of the extended tour 'The freedom of Amsterdam'. This part is about the origins of the freedom of Amsterdam, a city that in the seventeenth century was known for its freedom of speech and room for other religions. This version is for kids from 10 years.&nbsp;

Extended tour part 1 (10+) 'Freedom of Amsterdam': The origins of freedom of Amsterdam

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Extended tour part 1 (10+) 'Freedom of Amsterdam': The origins of freedom of Amsterdam

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