Maplab
An Amazing Digital Archive of Amsterdam's Past
Historical videos inspired by “Game of Thrones,” photos of long-lost neighborhoods, and maps of the best old buildings still standing today. What more could you ask for?
Amsterdam’s digital map archive was already one of the best municipal resources on the internet, and it just got even better. You may recall when CityLab first obsessed over the archive’s troves of information. We’re returning now to dive into the new maps, videos and archives that provide vivid, fascinating details on how the city has developed, some reaching back to the 1600s.
The Dutch Golden Age of the 17 century, was kind to Amsterdam. Within 100 years, rapid settlement tripled the city’s geographic size and dramatically expanded its network of canals and ramparts, as illustrated in this “Game of Thrones”-like video created by the City Archives.