The grand staircase at the entrance leads into the enormous Burgerzaal, or Citizens’ Hall, 60 meters wide, 120 meters long and 25 meters high, covered throughout in white marble.
The structure of the hall symbolizes a miniature universe. There are maps of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres on the floors, and a map of the stars in the Northern Sky. The Southern Sky was supposed to appear on the ceiling, but it was never painted, and the painting you can see, dating to the early 18th century, represents the Glory of Amsterdam.
Above the entrance portal is a statue representing the City of Amsterdam, looking downwards, i.e. with the world at its feet. Depicted on the left is the figure of Strength, with a lion’s skin on its head, and on the right, Knowledge, with the symbols of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom.
At the corners of the Burgerzaal are four galleries, richly decorated with sculptural elements, which lead into the other halls. Depicted above the entrance arches are the four elements, Earth, Water, Air and Fire, which were believed to form the base of the universe in the 17th century.
At the back of the Palace, you’ll find the Schepenzaal, the Hall of the Scabini, or magistrates, where the chief of police used to meet with the nine magistrates of Amsterdam.
There is a fireplace on both sides of the hall. The one on the south side is topped with a painting depicting Moses with the Ten Commandments, painted in 1662 by Ferdinand Bol. Below the painting is a sculpture of the Adoration of the Golden Calf by Artus Quellinus, dating to 1656.
On the other side, between the Burgerzaal and the staircase, is the Courtroom. Criminal sentences and death penalties were proclaimed in public, which is why this room looks onto Dam Square, where the people of the city used to gather
This room, the work of Artus Quellinus the Elder, is also nearly entirely covered in marble. On the wall at the back, you can see the benches from which the verdicts used to be announced.
An interesting fact: the Dutch royal family, whose origins date to the 17th century, has a glorious past. Among its members there was even one of the kings of England, William III.
