Amsterdam was founded as a fishing village around the 13th century. A dam was built on the river Amstel, hence the name Amsterdam, dam on the river Amstel. Then in the 16th century, the Dutch war of 1INDEPENDENT began against the Spanish rule. Although originally on the Spanish side, Amsterdam switched side in 1578. As a result, 2FREE of religion was reinstated, a very smart move at the time. 3WEALTH Jewish families from Spain and Portugal came to settle in the Netherlands. Merchants of Antwerp fled the 4DESTROY and ransacking of their city by the Spanish. The “Hugenotes” from France sought refuge in Amsterdam so they could practice their religion. But in Amsterdam, nobody really had a 5BELIEVE, as long as you were willing to pay your taxes and do your bit for the economy. The 17th century was Amsterdam’s Golden Age. Amsterdam’s ships sailed to Indonesia, Brazil and Africa, gathering an 6IMPRESS Empire in the process. This was also the same century as Rembrandt and the 7CONSTRUCT of the Canals. Amsterdam became the most 8IMPORT port in the world and an international centre for banking.