The Royal Palace in Amsterdam is known as Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam or Paleis op de Dam. It is one of the four places in Netherlands which is at the disposal of Queen Beatrix by the Act of Parliament. The palace was built to serve as a city hall during the Dutch Golden Age back in 17th century. The place became the palace of King Louis Napoleon and later became the Dutch Royal House. The Royal Palace is located in the west side of the Dam Square which is in the center of Amsterdam.
The Royal Palace in Amsterdam was build by Jacob van Campen. He took control of the whole construction project back in 1648. Marble was the chosen material for its interior design. It was said that 13,659 wooden piles was use to build this place which amounts to 8.5 million gulden.
The central hall is 120 feet long, 60 feet wide and 90 feet high. On the marbled floor you can see two maps with celestial hemisphere. Both western and eastern hemispheres are shown on the maps.
A large domed cupola sits at the top of the palace. Just underneath the dome are a few windows. Here, you can perfectly see if a ship arriving and departing in the harbor.
Works done by Govert Flinck can be found in the palace. Flinck died before he was able finish his work. Other works includes paintings of Jacob Jordaens, Jan Lievens and Ferdinand Bol.
Queen Beatrix decided to use the palace for entertaining and official functions, purposes like state visits or other official receptions such as award ceremonies of Erasmus Prize, The Royal Awards for Painting, and the Prince Claus Award.
The balcony of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam serves as witnessed when Queen Juliana announced the new queen to the people. This is where Prince Willem-Alexander kissed Princess Maxima on their wedding day.
