The earliest recorded use of the name "Amsterdam" is from a certificate dated 27 October 1275, when the inhabitants, who had built a bridge with a dam across the Amstel, were exempted from paying a bridge toll by Count Floris V. The certificate describes the inhabitants as homines manentes apud Amestelledamme (people living near Amestelledamme).By 1327, the name had developed into Aemsterdam. Amsterdam's founding is relatively recent compared with much older Dutch cities such as Nijmegen, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. In October 2008, historical geographer Chris de Bont suggested that the land around Amsterdam was being reclaimed as early as the late 10th century. This does not necessarily mean that there was already a settlement then since reclamation of land may not have been for farming—it may have been for peat, used as fuel.
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| Dam Square in the late-17th century: painting by Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde |
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| The Singel with the Munttoren in the background, ca. 1900. |
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| A painting depicting Amsterdam as of 1544. The famous Grachtengordel had not yet been established. |
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| Subway station Nieuwmarkt with historic images of the Newmarket riots |
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