Amsterdam-Centrum is the inner-most

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

and historical city centre of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, containing the majority of the city's landmarks. Established in 2002, Amsterdam-Centrum was the last area in the city to be granted the status of self-governing borough. The borough is only 8.04 km² large and covers the old innercity and the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

-listed Amsterdam canal belt. In 2013, the borough had approximately 85,000 inhabitants, who on average had the second-highest income per household in the city (after

Amsterdam-Zuid Amsterdam-Zuid (; ''Amsterdam South'') is a borough (''stadsdeel'') of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The borough was formed in 2010 as a merger of the former boroughs Oud-Zuid and Zuideramstel. The borough has almost 138,000 inhabitants (2013). With 8 ...

) and one of the highest in the country.

Neighborhoods

Amsterdam-Centrum consists of fourteen neighborhoods: Binnenstad (comprising the Burgwallen Oude Zijde and Burgwallen Nieuwe Zijde areas),

Grachtengordel The Grachtengordel (, "canal belt (girdle);" known in English as the Canal District) is a neighborhood in Amsterdam, Netherlands located in the Centrum district. The seventeenth-century canals of Amsterdam, located in the center of Amsterdam, we ...

(including the

Negen Straatjes De Negen Straatjes (; en, Nine Little Streets) is a neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands located in the Grachtengordel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. De Negen Straatjes De Negen Straatjes comprises nine side streets off the Prinsengracht, Ke ...

district), Haarlemmerbuurt,

Jodenbuurt The Jodenbuurt ( Dutch: ''Jewish neighbourhood'') is a neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands. For centuries before World War II, it was the center of the Dutch Jews of Amsterdam — hence, its name (literally '' Jewish quarter''). It is best ...

, Jordaan, Kadijken, Lastage, Oosterdokseiland,

Oostelijke Eilanden Oostelijke Eilanden (; lit. Eastern Islands), also known as Oostelijke Eilanden en Kadijken (Eastern Islands and Quays), is a neighbourhood in the centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands, consisting of Kattenburg, Wittenburg and Oostenburg. Geography The ...

(including the Czaar Peterbuurt), Plantage, Rapenburg, Uilenburg, Westelijke Eilanden and

Weteringschans Amsterdam-Centrum is the inner-most borough and historical city centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands, containing the majority of the city's landmarks. Established in 2002, Amsterdam-Centrum was the last area in the city to be granted the status of se ...

. Neighborhoods are largely traditional divisions of the inner city rather than strictly defined administrative units; as such, they have no level of autonomy, administrative privileges or governing bodies of their own.

Borough government

Until 2014, the Amsterdam boroughs, called ''stadsdelen'' (also known as urban districts in English), were governed by a directly elected district council (''deelraad'') as well as a separate district executive board, the members of which were appointed and controlled by the council. Since the 2014 municipal elections, the district councils have been abolished and replaced by smaller, but still directly elected district committees (''bestuurscommissies''). The district committees are elected every four years, on the same day as the city's central

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

. Each district committee elects three of its members to form an executive committee (''dagelijks bestuur''). The district committees' jurisdiction is determined by the central

. Responsibilities delegated to the 2014 district committees include parks and recreation, streets and squares, refuse collection, permits and events, preparation of zoning plans, passports and drivers licenses, and welfare work. The former district council of Amsterdam-Centrum originally had 27 members but was enlarged in 2006 with two extra members. The last district executive board president was Jeanine van Pinxteren ( GL, 2010–2014), who succeeded

Els Iping Els Iping (born 15 April 1953, Amsterdam) is a Dutch politician. As of 2007, Eping was chairman of the local council of Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherla ...

( PvdA, 2006–2010) and Anne Lize van der Stoel (

VVD The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberalRudy Andeweg, Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingsto ...

, 2002–2006). The new district committee of Amsterdam-Centrum consists of 13 members. It was elected on 19 March 2014 with five national political parties represented in the committee. On 7 April 2014, the committee elected its executive board. Executive committee chair was Boudewijn Oranje ( D66), and the other members were Jeanine van Pinxteren ( GL) and Roeland Rengelink ( PvdA). For the period 2018-2022 is Dehlia Timman (succeeded Mascha ten Bruggencate in July 2021) chair (both D66), the two other members are Micha Vos and Ilse Griek (both GreenLeft). The borough office (Dutch: ''stadsdeelkantoor''; English: district office; also known as ''stadsloket'' in Dutch) of Amsterdam-Centrum is located at the central city hall, housed in the

Stopera The Stopera is a building complex in Amsterdam, Netherlands, housing both the city hall of Amsterdam and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet, the principal opera house in Amsterdam that is home of Dutch National Opera, Dutch National Ballet and ...

building.

Landmarks

Leidseplein hoek Leidsestraat foto 1.jpg, Leidseplein, Weteringschans Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder 2396.jpg,

Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (OLHOS; en, Our Lord in the Attic) is a 17th-century canal house, house church, and museum in the city center of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The Catholic Church was built on the top three floors of the canal house during ...

, Burgwallen Oude Zijde Paleis van Justitie, Amsterdam-9011.jpg, ''Paleis van Justitie'' seen from the north, Haarlemmerbuurt Grachtengordel-West, Amsterdam, Netherlands - panoramio (13).jpg,

Westerkerk The Westerkerk (; en, Western Church) is a Reformed church within Dutch Protestant Calvinism in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the most western part of the Grachtengordel neighborhood ( Centrum borough), next to the Jordaan, betwe ...

and Prinsengracht, Grachtengordel Amsterdam vue Nemo.JPG, NEMO Science Museum, Oosterdokseiland

References

External links

Borough of Amsterdam-Centrum website
{{Neighborhoods of Amsterdam 2002 establishments in the Netherlands

Centrum (Latin for ''center'') may refer to: Places In Greenland * Nuuk Centrum, a district of Nuuk, Greenland * Centrum Lake, Greenland In the Netherlands * Amsterdam-Centrum, the inner-most borough of Amsterdam, Netherlands * Rotterdam Centrum, a borou ...