PRESS FEATURE: AMSTERDAM NEIGHBOURHOODS Amsterdam: a city with many different faces Amsterdam is known internationally for its centuries-old canals, many museums and historical Red-Light District – but there is also a whole world to discover outside the city centre. Via its neighbourhoods campaign, Amsterdam Marketing seeks to help visitors and local Amsterdammers (re)discover the city’s many surprises. The campaign highlights 11 neighbourhoods, each with its own character and charm. Each year, Amsterdam attracts millions of visitors from the Netherlands and abroad, and that number continues to grow – as does the number of city residents. Most of these people know where to find the Vondelpark, the Albert Cuypmarkt and the Anne Frank House, but there is so much more to see. The neighbourhoods campaign helps visitors and residents find their way to surprising, lesser-known parts of town. A better balance Amsterdam Marketing focuses its neighbourhoods campaign on expanding the city’s boundaries, spreading visitors across a wider, more diverse area. The neighbourhoods campaign not only helps Amsterdammers and visitors find their way to cafés, restaurants, creative spaces, shops and sights in the city’s most unique neighbourhoods, but it also seeks to better spread visitors out across the city and help stimulate new development in neighbourhoods outside the city centre. Thus, the campaign supports the municipality’s ‘City in balance’ mission, which researches ways to guide the city’s increasing local and visitor populations to a better balance for the smoothest experience possible for both groups, ensuring that the city remains an appealing place to live and visit. The neighbourhoods The neighbourhoods campaign highlights 11 neighbourhoods. This selection is based on the current offerings of these neighbourhoods. A neighbourhood is included in the campaign when it has a range of things to offer, and thus something interesting for each type of visitor. In addition to these 11 selected neighbourhoods, we also share information about the neighbourhoods and areas around them – such as IJburg, Landelijk Noord and the Nieuw-West. Areas that are under heavy development where, in the coming years, big things are expected. Next | Pagina 2 van 4 year we will again review all the neighbourhoods of Amsterdam and possibly expand our selection. Each neighbourhood has been given a short description (a tagline) and an illustration, which make its unique character clear in a glance. So, a giraffe towers over the letters of ‘De Plantage’ (home to Artis zoo), and the typography from Vondelpark’s gates is used for the Oud-Zuid. And so, via the tagline and illustration together, the individual of character of each neighbourhood shines. The featured neighbourhoods: 1. NDSM – An exciting breeding ground for creatives on an old shipping wharf, where former ships’ captains coexist with artists’ initiatives and hip businesses such as the IJ-Kantine restaurant, interior-design store Neef Louis and coffee bar The Coffee Virus. This industrial area is an especially renowned festival terrain come summer. 2. Noordelijke IJ-oever – On the northern shores of the IJ , urban renewal meets the bucolic serenity of rural villages, but also experimental festivals and stylish restaurants such as Hangar, music venue the Tolhuistuin and the A'DAM LOOKOUT viewing point. 3. Oostelijke Eilanden – Modern architecture and water come together in the Eastern Islands, a water-rich neighbourhood where historical warehouses have been transformed into modern hotspots, with highlights including the Bimhuis jazz club, the Maritime Museum and the Vuurtoreneiland (‘Lighthouse Island’) restaurant on a small uninhabited island of the same name just around the corner. 4. Oosterpark – Dynamic and diverse with a heart of green, this multicultural neighbourhood is home to, amongst others, the Tropenmuseum, Turkish bakers, Surinamese supermarkets, the Dappermarkt and the Volkshotel with its bar/club/café/restaurant Canvas op de 7e. 5. De Plantage – A culture-rich urban garden full of elegant architecture, this green neighbourhood is home to Artis zoo, the Hortus Botanicus botanical gardens and many museums and restaurants. 6. Westerpark – An energetic, creative and green meeting place, Westerpark is a cultural hotspot thanks in part to the Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek with its many festivals, movie theatre, galleries and cafés and restaurants. | Pagina 3 van 4 7. Oud-West – Local hotspots and hidden gems, this centrally located neighbourhood is full of restaurants, cafés and design shops, plus De Filmhallen movie theatre and the Ten Katemarkt. 8. Bos en Lommer & De Baarsjes – A cultural kingdom with something unique on every corner: this dynamic neighbourhood is populated by young, multicultural residents, hip bars and friendly neighbourhood cafés like Bar Baarsch and the restaurant DS. 9. Oud-Zuid – From world-famous art to chic boutiques, this rich and lovely neighbourhood is full of monumental buildings, stylish stores and the Concertgebouw classical music hall, Toomler comedy cellar, the grand Rijksmuseum and many more museums. 10. Zuidoost – A cultural melting pot and mega-entertainment centre, this multicultural neighbourhood is known for the Amsterdam ArenA stadium with its Ajax Museum, the Kwaku Festival, the Ziggo Dome concert venue and an enormous Pathé (IMAX) movie theatre. 11. De Pijp – A lively mix of culture, cooking and cafés, this energetic student neighbourhood and working-class neighbourhood of yore is home to innumerable restaurants and cafés, from The Seafood Market to hamburger joint Thrill Grill and French bakery My Little Patisserie. Neighbourhood guide To help visitors and residents discover these different corners of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Marketing has released the neighbourhoods guidebook: a magazine covering the histories, accessibility and cool well- known and lesser-known addresses of these different areas, from cultural highlights to restaurants, cafés, markets, clubs, shops and sights. Download the neighbourhoods guidebook here, or pick up a free copy at one of the many hotels, cultural institutions, neighbourhood centres, cafés and tourist information spots (including the I amsterdam Store and I amsterdam Visitor Centres) in Amsterdam. More tips For more neighbourhood tips, visit the I amsterdam website. Curious what neighbourhood suits you best? Find out in the neighbourhoods quiz! | Pagina 4 van 4 Note to the editor: The information may be freely referenced or copied if the source is credited: www.iamsterdam.com. The above information is subject to change and Amsterdam Marketing accepts no responsibility for inaccuracies in published information. Public information: www.iamsterdam.com Amsterdam Marketing Press Office Email: [email protected] Images: http://mediabank.iamsterdam.com/ Telephone: +31 (0)20 702 6265 About Amsterdam Marketing Amsterdam Marketing is the city marketing organisation of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, active in the fields of promotion, information, research and services. Our ambition is to put this region on the map as one of the five most attractive metropolitan areas in Europe for residents, visitors, businesses and influential groups. Under the motto ‘I amsterdam’, we present the region as a dynamic place to live and work, an attractive travel destination and a test market for innovation. .