Spirit of Enterprise
Ever since the first settlement at the river Amstel was founded, Amsterdam has been a strategic hub for commerce due to the nearby agriculture, fishery and possibilities for transportation.
This spirit of enterprise peaks in the Golden Age, when Amsterdam becomes a key centre for world trade and finance, but unfortunately these are also the years of slavery and exploitation.
Today, Amsterdam retains its reputation for dynamic commercial enterprise.
Freedom of Thought
Amsterdam has the image of a tolerant city. Freely available drugs, the Red Light District, a flourishing squatters movement and the support for homosexuality are some examples of this tolerance.
Recently however, this free society has come under fire. Life became harsher, authorities are more concerned with crime and violence and events like the assassination of filmmaker Theo van Gogh because of his unsavoury opinions undermine the free thought Amsterdam is known for.
Civic Virtue
When Amsterdam, at the close of the Middle Ages, shook off the yoke of feudal and Church authority, its burghers reached an awareness that they were the ones responsible for civic government and social support.
Providing law, safety and care for orphans, the sick and the poor, became the task of the men and woman who made their fortunes.
Today people are looking for new ways to respond to this responsibility to support the community.
Creativity
Whether it are artists, academics or researchers, creative minds have always found a home in Amsterdam. As early as the seventeenth century the city has been a centre for the art and design trade.
Rembrandt van Rijn acted on this fact by moving from Leiden to Amsterdam, where he also found greater creative challenges.
Today the international and multicultural climate still provides a wide variety of possibilities for creative projects and ventures.
