Image courtesy of Flickr user ingo.ronner
Amsterdam Central Station celebrates 123 years. It opened up to the public on this day in 1889, after 20 years in the making.
Before ACS came along, Amsterdam had two separate railway lines, each with its own station. The decision to create a coherent railway network for Amsterdam was made in 1869.
A collection of three man-made islands in the middle of the Ij River was chosen as the most central location on which to build a station that would be the hub of this new railway network.
Some 9,000 wooden poles were driven into the muddy, sandy soil of the island in order to fortify the station's foundation. The Ij was closed off during construction, presenting a problem for shipping traffic. Lobbying from those opposing the choice of location slowed progress considerably.
Finally, in 1875, P.J.H. Cuypers (the architect behind the Rijksmuseum, among other famous structures) and A.L. van Gendt were commissioned to design the station hall. Andrew Handyside of Derby, England created the cast iron roof, which spans 40 meters.
Fourteen years later, Amsterdam Central Station was open for business.
Today more than 250,000 passengers come through Amsterdam Central Station each day. The station - also home to bus, tram, metro, and ferry lines - is the nerve center of the city. The main Amsterdam Tourist Office is located here as well. Bicycles are for hire at the station and taxis can be found lined up outside.
Once you've arrived at Amsterdam Central Station, the city of Amsterdam is right at your fingertips.
Amsterdam Central Station is currently under construction with the addition of the North/South metro line, but is still open and in use.
© 2012, Amsterdam City Tours Blog. All rights reserved. On republishing any part of this post, you must provide a link back to this original post
VN:F [1.9.20_1166]please wait...Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)VN:F [1.9.20_1166]Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
