Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-177

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (October 27, 2025) –In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we learn about the well-kept secret of canals not in Venice.  

VENICE OF THE NORTH

October 27, 1275 is the traditional date for the founding of the city of Amsterdam.  That makes this year its 750th anniversary.

The capital and largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands started out as a small fishing village at the mouth of the Amstel River. 

It became an important world port and center of trade and finance in the seventeenth century.  It serves as the cultural capital of the country and is home to the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, founded in 1602 and considered the oldest modern stock exchange in the world.

The actual site of Amsterdam was only made possible by constructing a dam on the Amstel River and reclaiming the land from its wet, marshy state.  The first settlement immediately focused on traffic, goods production and trade unlike the farming communities which made up the majority of the land use.

Much of the city’s charm today is due to its Golden Age architecture and over 60 miles of canals.

Here is Guicciardini’s view of Amsterdam from 1581.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.