PRACTICALITIES
AVW4 will be held
in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from 17-21 April 2005.
Sessions are held
at the KNAW building “Het Trippenhuis”, Tinbergen room.
Kloveniersburgwal
29, Trippen House
(http://www.knaw.nl/organisation/history.html)
The brothers Louys
and Hendrick Trip (a ‘tripje’ is a type of wooden sandal) arrived in
Amsterdam circa 1630. Their line of business was dealing in iron and weapons.
Louys was a man of considerable social status, judging form the fact that
three times over he was elected burgomaster of Amsterdam (in 1674, 1676 and
1679). Hendrick was married to Johanna de Geer (1627-1691), the niece of his
most powerful competitor Louis de Geer. De Geer owned a splendid mansion on
123 Keizersgracht, the famous House with the Heads. The Trip Bros. rose to
the challenge and jointly commissioned an even more splendid house from the
architect Justus Vingboons (1620/21-1698). Within a period of two years
(1660-1662) a veritable palace, the largest mansion of the prestigious
Amsterdam ring of canals was built. It would be more correct, however, to
speak of the Trippen Houses, in the plural, since Vingboons built two
separate houses, one for each of the brothers, which share a single roof and
a single facade. The Trippen House is one of the very last representatives of
the Palladian version of Dutch Classicism.
Hendrick lived on the
left hand side, Louys on the right hand side. It is likely they flipped a
coin to determine where they were going to live. The symmetrical structuring
of the classicist pilaster facade has been taken to extremes here: the wall
separating one house from the other cuts the window section in half.
According to the strict rules of classical architecture it was out of the
question to have a pilaster coincide with the central axis of the facade. The
total number of pilasters must be an even number and therefore one naturally
ends up with a window in the middle (originally the central windows were dead
windows).
In 1730 Elisabeth van
Loon renovated the house on the right, originally Louys’ abode, in Louis XIV
style. As part of this project a corridor with stucco decoration became an
integral part of the house. At the same time the voorhuis was modified.
Elisabeth did not stay long (1730- 1733). The house on the left retained more
of its original interior.
From 1812 onwards the
house obtained a totally new designated use, when King Louis Napoleon used it
to house the Royal Institute of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts - the
precursor of the present Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences -
which he had founded in 1808. During the period 1815-1885 the Rijksmuseum was
also located in the Trippenhuis. The Trippenhuis has remained the seat of the
Academy until the present day.
TRAVEL to Amsterdam
To The Netherlands by air: http://www.schiphol.com/
From the airport to Amsterdam:
Rail: There is a railway
station in the terminal’s central hall, under Schiphol Plaza; direct trains
run to Amsterdam Central Station (journey time: 15 minutes).
Road: Taxi: Schiphol Travel Taxis are available
from outside Schiphol Plaza (journey time into Amsterdam: 15 minutes). Taxis
can be booked in advance on the airport’s website.
Bus: Public buses run
regularly to Amsterdam and other cities. Bus nos.197 and 370 (interliner) run
to Amsterdam city centre. Buses depart from platform A7, in front of the
Arrivals hall 2.
Shuttles: Many hotels offer a
free airport shuttle service to guests. The Connexxion Airport Hotel Shuttle
(phone: (0)20 405 6506) is a daily hotel shuttle service running from the
airport to over 55 hotels in and around Amsterdam; the Connexxion desk is
situated in the Arrivals hall 2, for tickets and information.
City of Amsterdam
The
city of Amsterdam enjoys great fame for being the proud owner of one of the
most important intact historical city centres in the world. The distinctive
Amsterdam cityscape is dominated by canal houses, most of them built as
residences for wealthy citizens. These rich mansions are characterised by
narrow, relatively tall facades, crowned by richly ornamented gable tops.
Amsterdam Heritage (http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/index_e.html) includes an introduction to the history of
Amsterdam as well as an outline of the topographical development of the city.
Moreover, this website offers you a unique opportunity to take part in a
virtual guided tour along the most significant historic buildings and sites.
Detailed information on the architecture and on the preservation of historic
buildings is presented along the way.
Transportation
- train: http://www.ns.nl/domestic/index.cgi
- general: http://www.holland.com/us/
Look under ‘Gen. Info’ and ‘Travel Info’
- Amsterdam Central station: http://www.channels.nl/station.html
- Amsterdam travel: http://www.amsterdam-hotels-travel.com/
; http://www.amsterdam.info/transport/
Maps of Amsterdam:
· http://www.hot-maps.de/europe/netherlands/amsterdam/homeen.html
· http://www.channels.nl/themap.html
· http://www.amsterdam.info/map/
Print and take:
· http://www.amsterdam.info/print/
General
information about The Netherlands
Location and
geography
The Netherlands is located in North West Europe.
It is bound by the North Sea to the north and west, Germany to the east and
Belgium to the south. The Netherlands is largely a delta with half of the
country's landmass tucked away below sea level. Coastal dunes and manmade
dykes protect the inland area. Without these sea defenses around 40% of the
country would be under water. Towards the east, the land lies slightly above
sea level but is still flat in nature. The elevation rarely exceeds 160 ft.
Although the seat of The Netherlands government is in The Hague, Amsterdam is
the nominal capital. It is also the country's largest city, with a population
of almost 750,000, and the most visited, with over 3.5 million foreign
visitors a year.
For more information: http://www.amsterdam-netherlands.info/
Climate
The Netherlands has a temperate maritime climate
influenced by the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Rainfall is distributed
fairly evenly throughout the year with average annual precipitation exceeding
700 mm (28 inches). Average temperature ranges are from -1 to 4 degrees
Celsius (30 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 13 to 22 degrees Celsius
(55 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit) in July.
Amsterdam weather and climate: http://www.amsterdam.info/weather/
For practical information such as money
matters, customs and traditions, health and safety and other matters good to
know, we recommend to check out the web page of the Netherlands Board of
Tourism and Conventions, http://www.holland.com/us/
, under ‘Gen. Info’, followed by ‘Practical Info’.
Note: While the rate of violent crime in the
Netherlands is low, tourists are targeted, usually in conjunction with
robbery attempts.
Currency. The currency in the
Netherlands is the Euro, which is used in almost all countries within the
European Union. For details on changing money and methods of payment see our
tips for visitors.
Electrical current.
The voltage in Holland is 220 volts. Hotels may have a 110-volt or 120-volt
outlet for shavers, but travelers are advised to bring a power converter and
an adapter for two-prong, round-prong plugs with
side grounding contacts.
TOURISM
Useful links for information:
- Amsterdam Tourist Board: http://www.holland.com
- Tourism, culture, recreation and leisure time:
http://www.holland.nl/
- Amsterdam Tourist Office: http://www.amsterdamcongress.nl/
Amsterdam eat, drink, lounge, music, museums etc.
· http://www.amsterdamhotspots.nl/tips.html
· http://www.concertgebouw.nl/
· http://www.amsterdamhotspots.nl/museums.html
· http://www.amsterdam.info/museums
· http://www.holland.com/us/
·http://www.kasbah.com/vitalstats/entertainment/music/holland_amsterdam_1.htm
TRIPS
One day in Amsterdam
· http://www.amsterdam.info/sights/
· http://www.holland.com/us/
Look under ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘day trips’ and ‘one
day in Amsterdam’
"The city of Amsterdam enjoys
great fame for being the proud owner of one of the most important intact
historical city centres in the world. The distinctive Amsterdam cityscape is
dominated by canal houses, most of them built as residences for wealthy
citizens. These rich mansions are characterised by narrow, relatively tall
facades, crowned by richly ornamented gable tops.
Amsterdam Heritage(http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/index_e.html)
includes an introduction to the
history of Amsterdam as well as an outline of the topographical development
of the city. Moreover, this website offers you a unique opportunity to take
part in a virtual guided tour along the most significant historic buildings
and sites. Detailed information on the architecture and on the preservation
of historic buildings is presented along the way."
It is the good time of the year to visit the
”Keukenhof” garden, where you can see a magnificent display of color, created
by more than 7 million tulips and other bulbs in bloom. Opening hours 2005:
March 24 to May 16.
· http://www.holland.com/include/loadad.html?page=http://www.keukenhof.nl
Miniature city Madurodam: All of Holland in just
one city!
Located within a stone's throw of Amsterdam and
the bulb fields, is an excellent place to familiarize with all the surprising
features The Netherlands has to offer.
· http://www.madurodam.nl/
The Zaanse Schans is a fully inhabited, open-air
conservation area and museum located 9 miles north of Amsterdam. Original
buildings vividly depict Dutch life in the 17th and 18th centuries. De Zaan
region is probably the world’s first industrial site ever. Some 250 years
ago, well over 800 windmills were cramped into this relatively small area.
They performed a wide range of industrial duties.
· http://www.zaanseschans.nl/
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