Centraal Station

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  • Address
    Stationsplein, Centrum
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Built on an artificial island in 1889, the Centraal Station (Amsterdam CS, to train travellers) was designed as a neo-Renaissance 'curtain', a controversial plan that effectively cut off Amsterdam from the IJ river. One of the architects, PJ Cuypers, also designed the Rijksmuseum, and you can see the similarities - in the square faux-Gothic towers, the fine red brick and the abundant reliefs, for sailing, trade and industry.

The garage in the right-hand wing was built to shelter the Dutch royal carriage, but it's rarely there read: never). As for all that construction, it's for another Amsterdam master traffic plan. By 2013 the inner harbour will be enlarged, the station square pedestrianised, and buses and trams rerouted to a new terminal in the rear.