RED LIGHT DISTRICT, Surroundings

On the edges of the Red Light District are a number of important historical buildings that have played a significant role in the history of Amsterdam.

Along the Damrak, the lively street that leads to the central station and corresponds to the filled-in canal of the old port, you can see the unmistakable red-brick Stock Exchange building, a masterpiece built between 1898 and 1903 by the architect and designer Hendrik Berlage, a leading figure of Modernism, the eclectic style in vogue between the 19th and 20th century. Berlage’s aim was to create a simple, practical building, but with features reminiscent of medieval architecture.

Today the building hosts a cultural center, with areas for conferences and exhibitions, as well as a particularly pleasant café, decorated with Art Nouveau inspired wall paintings by Jan Toorop.

A few steps away, towards the internal canal, just after the Oude Kerk, I suggest a visit to the small, but fascinating, Amstelkrig Museum, housed in a seventeenth-century building, which has perfectly preserved the atmosphere of the everyday home life of a wealthy family during the Golden Age.

After visiting the furnished rooms on the ground and first floors, I suggest you take the narrow wooden staircase up to an amazing, richly decorated secret church....