🏛️ Palace of Commerce reveals the hidden world behind the marble walls of Amsterdam’s seventeenth-century city hall. Far from quiet grandeur, the palace once bustled with paperwork, legal specialists, and urban officials like Jacob de Vogelaer — a wealthy urban secretary managing the flow of commerce and justice, one of 30,000 sheets at a time!…

🏛️ 𝑷𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆 reveals the hidden world behind the marble floors of Amsterdam’s seventeenth-century city hall. Amsterdam’s ambitions related to hard commercial interests, but also to the weak in society. Including orphans! 📖 Watch the trailer, and join Bob Wessels and me to discover a fascinating aspect of governance in a global city. 🔗…

🏛️ Palace of Commerce uncovers what happened when fortunes crumbled in seventeenth-century Amsterdam – even for Rembrandt! Behind a marble door in today’s Royal Palace, insolvent debtors faced not shame, but a second chance. In the Chamber of Insolvent and Abandoned Estates, commissioners and their staff worked to resolve financial collapse with surprising nuance. 📖…

Dr. Maurits den Hollander and prof. em. Bob Wessels (Leiden University) recently presented the first copy their book Palace of Commerce to Niels Breukers, Head of Public Opening & Activities Dutch Royal Palaces, in the magnificent Citizen’s Hall of Amsterdam’s Royal Palace (photo: Jan Wind). Tilburg Law School published a news item about the book…

🏛️ Palace of Commerce reveals the hidden world behind the marble walls of Amsterdam’s seventeenth-century city hall. Enjoy the decorations in the Assurantiekamer, used to oversee maritime insurance, cargo damages, and average disputes. Full of iconography tied to shipping and the risks in maritime trade! 📖 Watch the trailer and sail along with Bob Wessels…

🏛️Palace of Commerce takes you inside Amsterdam’s Royal Palace — once the seat of the city’s true rulers. In the seventeenth century, the Royal Palace was the eighth wonder of the world. Its central Citizen’s Hall reflects Amsterdam’s aspirations as a city of global significance, built on peace, justice, and pure economic strength. 📖 Watch…

🏛️ Palace of Commerce takes you inside Amsterdam’s Royal Palace — once the seat of the city’s true rulers, whose actions had impact all over the world. In the seventeenth century, four powerful burgomasters governed a global empire from this very building. Backed by wealth, justice, and diplomacy, they shaped the Dutch Republic — and…

🏛️ Palace of Commerce takes you inside Amsterdam’s Royal Palace — once the world’s most glorious city hall! In the seventeenth century, it was a magnificent center of governance, justice, and global commerce. Our book uncovers the hidden stories behind its marble walls — from merchant-regents to anonymous citizens. 📖 Watch the trailer and join…

📚 New Book: 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲. 𝗔𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘆 Step inside one of Amsterdam’s most iconic buildings and discover its hidden past! 𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦 unveils the fascinating history of the Royal Palace on Dam Square – originally built as Amsterdam’s City Hall during the Dutch Golden Age. Far from today’s serene marble halls, it…