According to the Dutch constitution, every municipality in the Netherlands is headed by a council, whose size depends on the number of inhabitants. The 45 members of the Amsterdam City Council are elected to four-year terms of office. The council’s College of Aldermen comprises eight elected aldermen and the mayor, who is appointed by the crown for a period of six years. The mayor also presides at the meetings of the council but is not an official member of this body. Although the council has no say in the appointment of the mayor, the officeholder usually represents the largest political group in the council. Since the end of World War II, the Labour Party has dominated the council, and the mayors have come from its ranks. The council, however, is made up of members of many different political persuasions, including the Greens and the Green Left. Chosen by and from the members of the council, the aldermen are elected to four-year terms. Aldermen also receive an income, while council members are paid only an attendance fee.

As a rule, council meetings are open to the public. From 1655 to 1808 the seat of the council was located on the Dam, where the medieval town hall was replaced by a building designed by the 17th-century Dutch architect Jacob van Campen. When Louis Bonaparte, the French king of Holland, chose this structure as his residence in 1808 and converted it into what is now the Royal Palace (Koninklijk Paleis), the council moved to the Prinsenhof, a onetime convent that later became the Admiralty Court. In the mid-1980s a new city hall and opera house were constructed on the north bank of the Amstel River, at Waterloo Square. In 1926 Herengracht 502, which was built for a director of the Dutch East India Company in 1672, became the mayor’s official residence.

The responsibilities of the municipality include public transportation, public works (including acquisition and allocation of grounds and buildings), public health, housing, electricity and gas, the port, markets, police, the fire brigade, sanitation, social services, waterworks, education, and churchyards. The city has its own clearing bank, credit bank, advertising department, printing shop, swimming pools, theatre, archive department, museums, slaughterhouse, and orphanage.

Cultural life

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As a centre for the arts, Amsterdam has much to offer. There are some 40 museums, which attract about four million visitors annually. The Rijksmuseum (State Museum) is famous for its collection of 17th-century Dutch masterpieces. The Stedelijk (Municipal) Museum is a leading international collection of modern art. The Van Gogh Museum is dedicated to the work of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. Other important museums include the Anne Frank House, the Amsterdam Historical Museum, the Dutch Maritime Museum, and the Rembrandt House.

There are more than 200 live-performance sites, including the Concertgebouw, which is the home of the world-famous Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Muziektheater, where the national ballet and opera companies perform. The city is also home to two universities—the University of Amsterdam, founded in 1632, and the Free University, founded in 1880—and numerous academies and conservatories. The architecture of the inner city (and of some of the suburbs) is a delight for many tourists interested in culture, who seek out the superbly preserved canal-side mansions of the Golden Age and the numerous historic monuments, including the Royal Palace. The arts play an important economic role in Amsterdam, employing thousands of people and generating nearly $1 billion in revenues annually. There are more than 100 galleries, including major auction houses.

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Recreational facilities are extensive. The Amsterdam Woods, the seaside resort of Zandvoort to the west, Sloter Lake (Sloterplas) in the heart of the western suburbs, and many smaller lakes to the south and north of the city all offer opportunities for outdoor recreation. There are about 40 sports parks, clubs for almost every sport, and more than 250 open-air tennis courts in this crowded city. For spectator sports, the Amsterdam Arena, home of the Ajax football (soccer) club, and the Olympic Stadium are world-class venues.