Amsterdam is the largest city of the Netherlands and functions as the nominal capital of the country. It remains one of the most popular tourist destinations of the world.
If the Netherlands is a jewel of Europe, Amsterdam, inarguably, is the jewel of the country. Though established at the turn of the millennium, Amsterdam came into its age of golden prosperity around the 15th century, experienced a downturn and resurged in the 17th century following the construction of the North Sea Canal.