Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam

The Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam occupies the fabulous structure on Prins Hendrikkade known locally as the Scheepvaarthuis or 'Maritime House'. It was on this building that many of the greatest names in Dutch modernism cut their teeth, and from which the signature flowing lines of the architectural style gained a named: the Amsterdam School. On the very spot where Cornelis Houtman and Peter de Keyser set off for the East Indies on 10 March 1595 (opening the chapter on Dutch maritime dominance), construction work began, in 1913, on grand headquarters for a number of major shipping lines, designed by Johan van der Mey – a complete unknown who would, in fact, turn out to be a bit of a one-hit wonder. The same can't be said for those who worked with him: Piet Kramer would later design more than 400 of the city's bridges and Michel de Klerk would come up with Het Schip in Westerpark. The extraordinary carvings on the façade of nautical motifs and Dutch explorers were the second commission for Hildo Krop, soon to make his mark as official city sculptor.