III.

Places of Interest

Amsterdam has played a key role in European cultural and intellectual life since the 17th century. The city is the site of the National Academy of Art, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences, and the University of Amsterdam (1632). Its Rijksmuseum contains one of the largest collections of Dutch and Flemish paintings in the world by Rembrandt, Jan Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jacob Ruisdael, Meindert Hobbema, and other masters, and its Stedelijk Museum has an extensive collection of modern works. Amsterdam was also the home of the painter Rembrandt; his house is now a museum. The city's Van Gogh Museum contains outstanding works by the artist Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. The city has numerous examples of 16th- and 17th-century architecture, as well as two historic churches: the Oude Kerk (Old Church), built about 1300, and the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), built in the 15th century. The royal palace, originally built in the 17th century as the town hall, stands on a large square in the centre of the city. The Amsterdam defence line, built between 1883 and 1920, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Other places of interest include the house of Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who became the most famous victim of the German occupation during World War II, and a branch of the world-famous Madame Tussauds waxworks museum, which opened in 1971. The city also hosts a number of festivals and international events including, for example, the International Windjammer Regatta, held each August. The Dutch National Ballet (Het Nationale Ballet) and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra are based in the city.