Dam Palace
| Royal Palace of Amsterdam | |||
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| Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam Paleis op de Dam |
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The Royal Palace of Amsterdam in 2016
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 Location within central Amsterdam
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| Former names | Stadhuis op de Dam | ||
| General information | |||
| Architectural style | Classicism | ||
| Location | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Address | Nieuwezijds Voorburg 147 | ||
| Coordinates | 52°22′23″N 004°53′28″E / 52.37306°N 4.89111°ECoordinates: 52°22′23″N 004°53′28″E / 52.37306°N 4.89111°E | ||
| Current tenants | King Willem-Alexander | ||
| Construction started | 1648 | ||
| Completed | 1665 | ||
| Inaugurated | 20 July 1655 | ||
| Cost | ƒ 8.5 million | ||
| Owner | Kingdom of the Netherlands | ||
| Technical details | |||
| Floor area | 22,031 m2 | ||
| Design and construction | |||
| Architect | Jacob van Campen, Daniël Stalpaert | ||
| Other designers | Artus Quellinus, Govert Flinck, Jacob Jordaens, Jan Lievens, Ferdinand Bol | ||
| References | |||
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The Royal Palace of Amsterdam in Amsterdam (Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam or Paleis op de Dam) is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament. It is situated on the west side of Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam, opposite the War Memorial and next to the Nieuwe Kerk.
The palace was built as a city hall during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. The building became the royal palace of King Louis Napoleon and later of the Dutch Royal House.
The structure was built as the Town Hall of the City of Amsterdam "facing the landing wharfs along Damrak, which at that time would have been busy with ships". The town hall was opened on 29 July 1655 by Cornelis de Graeff, the mayor of Amsterdam. The main architect was Jacob van Campen, who took control of the construction project in 1648. It was built on 13,659wooden piles and cost 8.5 million gulden. A yellowish sandstone from Bentheim in Germany was used for the entire building. Marble was the chosen material for the interior.
Jacob van Campen was inspired by the Antwerp Town Hall. He wanted to build a new capitol for the Amsterdam burgomasters who thought of themselves as the consuls of the new Rome of the North. The new town hall was claimed to be the largest administrative building in Europe. In fact, some travellers described the building as too big for the city where a typical façade was only three windows wide. The technical implementation was looked after by the town construction master Daniël Stalpaert. The sculptures were executed in Antwerp by Artus Quellijn.
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