Koninklijk Paleis
Koninklijk Paleis stands on the west side of Dam Square, beside the Nieuwe Kerk and opposite Amsterdam’s War Memorial. Its darkened sandstone façade forms a working royal palace and museum in the city centre.
Jacob van Campen took over the design in 1648, creating Amsterdam’s new city hall on more than 13,000 wooden piles. The building opened in 1655, then changed purpose when Louis Bonaparte moved his court to Amsterdam in 1808 and made part of it a national museum. Today, royal functions include state visits, New Year receptions and award ceremonies, while public rooms present art, historical objects and changing exhibitions. A balcony here marked Queen Beatrix’s presentation to the people during her 1980 investiture.
Look behind the palace for Atlas, a six-metre statue carrying the globe on his shoulders. Inside, audio tours include options for children, and the Citizens’ Hall has benches for visitors who need to rest.
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The myTuur app is free, and once you are standing at a spot its story starts by itself.
Spots like this one are the stops myTuur strings into tours through Amsterdam. In the app, each story begins where you stand: walk up to a spot and it starts, read it on screen or listen as you go, then follow the route to the next one.
What is myTuur?
myTuur is a free city-guide app. Its tours are built from spots, and each spot carries a story that starts when you get there, to read or to listen to as you like.