Amsterdam has over 6,800 landmark buildings most of which have gables. These hide the pitched roofs and demonstrate the architect’s vertical showmanship in a city where hefty property taxes and expensive canal-front land encouraged pencil-thin buildings. Identifying gables is an excellent way to date the numerous landmark buildings in Amsterdam and throughout the Netherlands.
Centraal Station was designed by the famous architect Petrus Josephus Hubertus Cuypers between 1884 and 1889 on three artificial islands (supported on 30,000 pilings) in the IJ channel. It continues to be one of the most significant architectural attractions in Amsterdam partly for the permanent liveliness that surrounds it. This is just one of the numerous historic building to be seen throughout the country. In fact in some places there are more historic buildings in a neighbourhood than there are modern ones. You won’t have to go far to find them.