4 Episodes · Premiered February 5, 2025 · Ended February 26, 2025
Four-part series about the pioneers, migrants, dreamers, and doers who have all contributed to the growth and development of Amsterdam in their own way.
We are witnessing the origins of the city in the 12th century, born from a storm surge. Built on and around the water, it seems an impossible place to live, but the first inhabitants are convinced of its unlimited possibilities. From a small settlement on the Amstel, Amsterdam grows into an important medieval trading city.
Amsterdam's image is largely due to the seventeenth century. The canals, the art, the prosperity—made possible in part by the arrival of thousands of migrants from Europe and far beyond. Amsterdam offers many opportunities for newcomers, but far from everyone shares in this success story. The differences between rich and poor remain enormous.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, great poverty prevailed in Amsterdam, and the splendor of the seventeenth century had long since vanished. While the city government seemed determined to maintain the status quo, it was wealthy and proud Amsterdammers who took matters into their own hands to pull the city out of its slump. In addition to improving healthcare, housing, and hygiene, these Amsterdam benefactors also laid the foundation for important landmarks such as the Vondelpark, the Concertgebouw, and the Rijksmuseum.
The Second World War left a deep scar on Amsterdam. A large part of the Jewish population, 60,000 people, was deported and murdered. The city went in search of a new identity. On the one hand, Amsterdam wanted to become a modern city with highways and new construction. But on the other hand, it wanted to retain the human scale and preserve the individuality of its residents. Thanks to the counterculture that emerged in the 1960s, Amsterdam acquired a new face.
