On October 27, 2025, Amsterdam will turn 750 years old, and the city will be celebrating this for a whole year. To mark this anniversary, PostNL will issue the gold "Amsterdam 750 Years" stamp on that day.
In addition, the Amsterdam 750 Years stamp sheetlet, featuring five stamps with five different designs, will be released on January 2, 2025.
The oldest document mentioning Amsterdam dates from October 27, 1275. In this 750-year-old document, Count Floris V of Holland granted toll exemption in his county to several hundred residents of "Amestelledamme." The name Amsterdam derives from the dam built in the Amstel River in the 13th century, where Dam Square now stands. Shortly after 1300, Amsterdam received city rights. Thanks to the port and Baltic Sea trade, the settlement developed into the most important trading city in Holland during the 15th century. The fall of Antwerp in 1585 ushered in a period of prosperity, when many traders from the southern Netherlands moved north, and Amsterdam became the center of world trade. During the 17th century, the population continued to grow, making Amsterdam one of the largest cities in Europe. This led, among other things, to the urban expansion with the world-famous canal belt.
From 1860 onwards, Amsterdam became a major industrial city. A large, modern city emerged around the city center, with 19th-century working-class neighborhoods like De Pijp and Kinkerbuurt, and the upscale Vondelpark neighborhood. Later, urban expansions followed, such as Plan Zuid from 1917, Nieuw-West after 1945, Buitenveldert after 1958, and the Bijlmer after 1966. In the 1960s, Amsterdam was the focus of the cultural revolution. Young people successfully opposed municipal plans to demolish old neighborhoods, build highways through the city, and construct high-rise buildings. In the 1970s and 1980s, urban renewal was accompanied by squatter riots. In the decades that followed, urban development of the city's outskirts followed, including the Eastern Docklands, IJburg, Nieuw Sloten, and the Zuidas.
The capital of the Netherlands will celebrate its 750th anniversary for a year, from October 27, 2024, to October 27, 2025. The celebration will feature hundreds of events and special gatherings, including the opening concert at the Ziggo Dome, the Amsterdam musical Onze Jordaan, Amsterdam's largest street football tournament, exhibitions in Amsterdam museums and institutions, The Great Amsterdam Quiz, the ToekomstTendaagse (Future Ten Days), special programs and activities in all boroughs, and a huge party on the A10 ring road, which will be completely car-free on June 21, 2025. The anniversary year will conclude with a grand celebration on October 27, 2025, on Amsterdam's 750th anniversary.
